The Vishnu Purana Vol-I

W P R K S

THE LATE

HORACE HAYMAN WILSON,

... M.A., F.R.S.,

MEMBBB OP THE BOVAL* ASTATIC SOCIETY, OP THE ASIATIC SOCIETIES OP
CALCUTTA AND PABIS, AND OP THE ORIENTAL SOCIETY OP GERMANY;
POREIGN MEMBEB*^OP $Vl6l NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF PBANCE:

MEMBER OP THE IMPERIAL ACADEMIES OP ST. PETEBSBURGH AND VIENNA,
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PH. D. BRESLAU; M. D. MARBURG, ETC.;

AND BODEN PROPBSSOR OP SANSKRIT IN THE UNIVERSITY OP OXPORD.

VOL. VI.

LONDON:

TROBNER & CO., 60, PATERNOSTER ROW.
1864.

TifJi

VISHNU PURANA;

; , 'A-SYPTSM

i--

HINDU MYTHOLOGY AND TRADITION.

TBASSLATKD

FROM THE ORIGINAL SANSKRIT^

ASD

ILLUSTRATED BY NOTES
DEBLVISD CHIEFL-Y FEOH OTHEE PUEiliAS,

BY TUE LATE

H. a WILSON, M.A., F.as.,

i^'ODEN PROEEaSOE OF SANSKRIT IN THE UNIVBBBITY OF OAFOBD,

' ' ETO., BTC, " ^

EDITED BY

FITZEDWARD HALL;

M.A., P.O^OXON.

VOL. I.;

LOTTODN:

TR0BHER & CO., 60, PATERNOSTER ROW.

1364 . -

TO

THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS, AND SCHOLARS

OF

THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD,

THIS WORK

IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBE!) BY

H. H. WILSON,

IN TESTIMONY OF HIS VENERATION FOR
THE UNIVERSITY,

AND IN GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE DISTINCTION
CONFERRED UPON HIM
BY HIS ADMISSION AS A MEMBER,

AND HIS ELECTION

TO TBB

BODEN PROFESSORSHIP OF THE SANSKRIT LANGUAGE.

OXFOBD,
Feb. 10, 1840.

NOTICE.

The Editor defers till the completion of his under¬
taking any genei’al remai’ks tliat he may have to offer.

PREFACE.

1 HE literature of the Hindus has now been cultivated,
for many years, with singulai’ diligence, and, in many
of its branches, with eminent success. Thei*e are some
departments, however, which ai*e yet but partially and
imperfectly investigated; and we are far from being
in possession of that knowledge which the authentic
writmgs of the Hindus alone can give us of their re¬
ligion, mythology, and histoiical traditions.

From the materials to which we have hitherto had
access, it seems probable that there have been three
pi'incipal forms in which the religion of the Hindus
has existed, at as many different pei'iods. The duration
of those periods, the circumstances of their succession,
and the precise state of the national faith at each season,
it is not possible to ti’ace with any approach to accu¬
racy. The premises have been too imperfectly deter¬
mined to authorize other than conclusions of a general
and somewhat vague description; and those remain to
be hereafter confiiined, or corrected, by more extensive
and satisfactory research.

The earliest form under which* the Hindu religion
appeal’s is that taught in the Vedas. The style of the
language, and the purporf of the composition, of those
I.

a

n

PEEFACE.

works, as far as we are acquainted with them, indicate
a date long anterior to that of any other class of Sans¬
krit writings. It is yet, however, scarcely safe to ad¬
vance an opinion of the precise belief, or philosophy,
which they inculcate. To enable us to judge of tlieir
tendency, we have only a general sketch of their ar¬
rangement and contents, with a few exti’acts, hy Mr.
Oolebrooke, in the Asiatic Researches;^ a few iiicident^il
observations by Mr. EUis, in the same miscellanyand
a translation of the first book of the Saniliitii, or (*.ol-
lection of the prayers of tlie ftig-veda, by Dr. Rosen;"
and some of the Upauishads, or speculative treatises,
attached to, rather than part of, the Vedas, hy Rain-
mohun Roy.** Of the religion taught in the Vedas,
Mi‘. Oolebrooke’s opinion will probably be received as
that which is best entitled to deference; as, certainly,
no Sanskrit scholar has been equally conversant with
''the original works. “The real doctrine of the whole
-- Indian scripture is the unity of tlie deity, in whom the

' Vol. vni., p. 369. t ’ Vol. XIV., p. 37.

® Published by the Oriental Translation Fund Committee.

^ A translation of the principal Upanishads was published,
under the title of Oupnekhat, or Tbeologia Indica, by Anquetil
du Perron; but it was made through the medium of the Persian,
and is very incoiTect and obscure. A translation of a very dif¬
ferent character J has been some time in course-of preparation
by M. Poley,

* To insert here a list of the numerous publications bearing on the
Vedas, that have appeared since the date of this preface, 1840, would
be beside the purpose of my notes.

+ Reprinted in Colebrooke’s Miscellamons Essays, Vol, T,, pp. 9-118.

I The kindness of Professor Wilson hero mistook a hope for a reality.

PEEFACE.

m

universe is comprehended; and the seeming polytheism
which it exhibits offers the elements, and the stare
and planets, as gods. The three pidncipal manifesta¬
tions of the divinity, with other pei’sonified attributes
and energies, and most of the other gods of Hmdu
mythology, ai’c, mdeed, mentioned, or, at least, mdi-
cated, in the Vedas. But the worship of deified heroes
is no part of tliat system; nor are the incarnations of
deities suggested in any other poi-tion of the text which
I have yet seen; though such are sometimes hinted at
by the commentators.” ‘ Some of these statements may,
perhaps, require modification; for, without a cai*eful
exammation of all the prayers of the Vedas, it would
be hazai’dous to assert tliat they contain no mdication
whatever of hero-woi*ship; and, certainly, they do ap¬
peal* to allude, occasionally, to the Avatdras, or incai*-
nations, of Vishfiu. StiU, however, it is true that the
prevailing character of the ritual of the Vedas is the
worship of the personified elements; of Agni or fire;
Indra, the firmament; V4yu, the air; Varufia, the water;
of Aditya, the sun; Soma, the moon; and other ele-
mentai*y and planetary personages. It is also true that
the worship of the Vedas is, for the most part, domestic
worship, consisting of pi*ayers and oblations offered—
in their own houses, not in temples—by mdividuals,
for individuaLgood, and addi’essed to unreal presences,
not to visible types. In a word, the religion of the
Vedas ^yas not idolatry.

* As. Res., Yol. VIII., p. 474. *

* Or Miscellaneous Essays, Yol. L, pp. 110 and 111.

IV

PREFACE.

It is not possible to conjecture when this more simple
and primitive form of adoration was succeeded by the
worship of images and types, representing Brahmii,
Vishhu, 6iva, and other imaginary beings, constituting
a mythological pantheon of most ample extent; or
when Rama and Krishiia, who appear to have been,
originally, real and historical characters, were elevated
to the dignity of dhinities. Image-worship is alluded
to by Manu, in several passages,^ but with an intima¬
tion that those Brahmans who subsist by ministering
in temples ai*e an inferior and degraded class. I'lie
stoiy of the Ram^yaha and MaliAbluii’ata turns wholly
upon the doctrine of incaniatious; all the chief dramatis
personse of the poems being ijnpersonations of gods,
and demigods, and celestial spirits. The ritual appeal's
to be that of the Vedas; and it may be doubted if any
allusion to unage-worship occurs. But the doctrine of
propitiation by penance and praise prevails throughout;
and Vishiiu and Siva are the especial objects of pane¬
gyric and invocation. In these two works, then, we
trace unequivocal indications of a departure from the
elemental worship of the Vedas, and the oi*igin or elab¬
oration of legends which form the great body of the
mythological religion of the Hindus. How far they
only improved upon the cosmogony and chronology
of then* predecessors, or in what degree tlie ti'aditions
of families and dynasties may originate with them, ai*e
questions that can only be determined when tlie Vedas
and the two works in question shall have been more
thoroughly examined.

' B. III., 152,164. B. IV., 214.

PBBFACE.

V

The different works known by the name ofPui-^has
are evidently derived from the same religious system
as the Rdmdyaha and Mah4bh4rata, or from the mytho-
heroic stage of Hindu belief. They present, however,
peculiarities which designate their belonging to a later
period, and to an important modification in the pro¬
gress of opinion. They repeat the theoretical cosmo¬
gony of the two great poems; they expand and sys¬
tematize the chronological computations; and they give
a more definite and connected representation of the
mythological fictions and the historical traditions. But,
besides these and other particulars, which may be
derivable from an old, if not from a primitive, era^
they offer characteristic peculiarities of a more modem
description, in the paramount importance which they
assign to individual divinities, in the variety and pur¬
port of the rites and observances addressed to them,
and in the invention of new legends illustrative of the
power and graciousness of those deities, and of the
efficacy of implicit devotion to them. 6iva and Vishfiu,
under one or other form, are almost the sole objects
that claim the homage of the Hindus, in the PurMas;
departing from the domestic and elemental ritual of
the Vedas, and exhibiting a sectarial fervour and ex¬
clusiveness not traceable in the R4m4yafia, and only
to a qualified extent in the Mahdbhdrata. They are no
longer authorities for Hindu belief, as a whole: they
are special guides for separate and, sometimes, con¬
flicting branches of it; compiled for the evident pur¬
pose of promoting the preferential, or, in some cases,
Ihe sole, worship of Vishfiu, or of ^iva.^

^ Besides the tibree periods marked by the Vedas, Heroic

VI

PREFACE.

That the Purdhas always bore the ehai’acter here
given of them may admit of reasonable doubt: that it
correctly applies to them as they now ax'e met with,
the following pages will irrefragabJy substantiate. It
is possible, however, that there may have been an
earlier class of Poi-diias, of which those we now have
are but the partial and adulterated representatives.
The identity of the legends in many of them, and, still
more, the identity of the words—for, in several of them,
long passages are literally the same—is a sufficient
proof that, in all such cases, they must be copied either
fi’om some other similar work, or from a common and
prior original. It is not unusual, also, for a fact to be
stated upon the authority of an ‘old stanza’, which is
cited accordingly; showing the existence of an earlier
source of information; and, in very many instances,
legends are alluded to, not told; evincing acquaintance
with their prior naiTation somewhere else. The name
itseli^ Pqj^lJSflb which implies ‘old’, indicates the object
of the compilation to be the preservation of ancient
traditions; a purpose, in the present condition of the
Purihas, very imperfectly fuLMed. Whatever weight
may be attached to these considerations, there is no
disputmg evidence to the like effect, afforded by other
and unquestionable authority. The description given,
by Mr. Oolebrooke,^ of the contents of a Purdha is

Poems, and Puranas, a fourth may be dated from the influence
exercised by the Tantras upon Hindu practice and belief: but we
are yet too little acquainted with those works, or their origin, to
speculate safely upon their consequences.

* As. Res., YoL YII., p. 202.*

Or MistxlUmeom Eksays, Yol. 11,, pp. 4 and 6, foot-note.

PKEFACB.

VII

taken from Sanskrit writers. The Lexicon of Amara
Simha gives, as a synonym of Pur^a, I^anchanlakshaha,,
‘that which has five characteristic topics’; and there is/-
no diffei’ence of opinion, amongst the scholiasts, as to/
what these are. They are, as Mr. Oolebi’ooke mentions; '
I. Prima ry creation, or cosmogony; II. Secondary cre-^
ation, or the destruction and renovation of worlds^ ^
including chronology : HI. Genealogy of go ds and ''
patriarchs; IV. Beigns of the Manu s, or penoda called'’
Manwantarap ; and, V. History, or s uch par tic ulars as '
have been preserved of the prin ces of the-S olar a nd'
lunar races, and of their deseandanta to modem times.
Such, at any r ate, were th e constituent and charact er-
istic po rtions of a Pur^fia, in the days of Amara Simha,*,
fifl v-s^ years before the Christian erajif and, if the

’ The following definition of a Furdna is eonstantij quoted:
it is found in the Vishnu, Matsja, Vdyn, and other Purdnas:

A variation of reading in the beginning of the second line is
noticed by Bamasrama, the scholiast on Amara,

‘Destruction of the earth and the rest, or final dissolution;’ in
which case the genealogies of heroes and princes are comprised
in those of the patriarchs.

* ?

t That Amarasimha lived at that time, though possible, has not been
proved. Professor Wilson —Sanskrit Dictionary, first edition, Preface,
p. V. —asserts that “all tradition concurs in enumerating him amongst
the learned men 'who, in the metaphorical phraseology of the Hindus,
are denominated the ‘nine gems’ of the court of Vikmmdditya. * * *
Authorities 'which assert the contemporary existence of Amara and Vi-
Icramdditya might be indefinitely multiplied; and those are equally nu¬
merous 'which class him amongst the ‘nine gems’,” In the second

vni

PREFACE.

Pui’&]&as had undergone no change since his time, such
we should expect to find them still. Do tliey conform

edition of his Dictionary, under the yrovd Professor explains

✓the “nine gems” to be: “The nine men of letters at the court of Yikra-
maditya, or, Dhanwantari, EIshapa£aka, Amarasimha, l^anku, Yetalabhaffa,
Ghafakarpara, Kiliddsa, Yardhamihira, and Yararuchi,” The tradition
about these ornaments he thinks — Meghaddta, second edition, Preface,
p. V.— to be one of those regarding -which “there is no reason to dispute
the truth.”

The “authorities” spoken of in the first of the preceding extracts are
not specified by Professor Wilson; and they are not known to have
feUen yet in the way of any one else. Those authorities apart, he ad¬
duces a stanza about the “nine gems”, of which he says, that it “appears
in a great measure traditionary only; as I have not been able to trace
it to any authentic source, although it is in the mouth of every Pandit,
when interrogated on the subject.”

The stanza in question occurs in the Jyotirviddbha/raflat near its con¬
clusion, where we find the following verses;

H

m I I <Rffr: j

TSTTfn t fWTW )l

»»*»»«*»

»**»*###

**#»#»##

PREFACE.

IX

to this description? Not exactly, in any one instance;
to some of them it is utterly inapplicable; to others it
only partially applies. There is not one to which it
belongs so entirely as to the V ish Au PurMa; and it is
one of the circumstances which gives to this work a

# Tfmt {

Here we see named, as contemporaries at the conrt of Yihram^ltya,
lord of Malava, in the year 3068 of the Kali age, or B. C. 3$: Majii,
Aihi^adatta, Jishnu, Trilochana, and Hari; also Satya, ^nrtasena, Bi.dara-
yana, Manittha, and KumArasimha, astronomers; and the “nine gems”
already particularized.

The writer of the JyoUrviddhharaAa is represented "as professing to be
one with the author of the Raghmamda. As to Yikramdditya, 180 re¬
gions are said to have been subject to his sway. Burther, |bocording to
some Yerses of which I have not quoted the original, there were 800
viceroys subordinate to him, of picked warriors he had ten millions, and
he possessed 400,000 boats. His victims in battle, among §4kas alone,
are multiplied to the whimsical aggregate of 555,555,555. These de¬
stroyed, he established his era.

There is every reason for believing the JgottrviddhkaraAa to be not
only pseudonymous but of recent composition. And now we are pre¬
pared to form an opinion touching the credibility of the tradition, so far
as yet traced, which concerns the “nine gems” of Yikramdditya,

In the Benares Magazine for 1852, pp. 274-276, 1 irsi printed and
translated the verses just cited and abstracted. A detailed English version
of them has been given by the learned Dr. Bhdu Ddji, in the Journal of
the Bombay Branch of the Royal As. Soc., January, 1862, ppr26 and 27.

X

PREFACE.

more authentic character than most of its fellows can
pretend to. Yet, even in this instance, we have a book
upon the institutes of society and obsequial rites inter¬
posed between the Manwantaras and the genealogies
of princes; and a life of KfishAa, separating the latter
from an account of the end of the world; besides the
insertion of various legends of a manifestly popular
and sectaiial character. No doubt, many of the Pu-
rdhas, as they now ai*e, correspond with the view
which Colonel Vans Kennedy takes of their purport.
“I cannot discover, in them,” he remai’ks, “any other
object than that of religious instruction.” “The de¬
scription of the earth and of the planetary system, and
the lists of royal races that occur in them,” he asserts
to be “evidently extraneous, and not essential circum¬
stances; as they are omitted in some PurMas, and veiy
concisely illustrated, in others; while, on the contrary,
in all the PurMas, some or other of the leading prin¬
ciples, rites, and observances of the Hindu religion are
fully dwelt upon, and illustrated, either by suitable
legends, or by prescribing the ceremonies to be prac¬
tised, and the prayers and invocations to be employed,
in the worship of different deities.”^ Now, however
accurate this description may be of the Purdhas as they
are, it is dear that it does not apply to what they were
when they wei-e synonymously designated as Pancha-
lakshahas or ‘ti’eatises on five topics’; not one of which
five is ever specified, by text or comment, to be “re¬
ligious instruction”. In the knowledge of Amara Simha,

Sesearches into the Natnre and AfSnity of Ancient and
Hindn Mythology, p. 15S, and note.

PREFACE.

XI

the lists of princes were not extraneous and unessential;
and their being now so considered by a winter so well
acquainted with the contents of the Pur4Aas as Colonel
Vans Kennedy, is a decisive proof that, since the days
of the lexicographer, they have undergone some mate¬
rial alteration, and that we have not, at present, the
same works, in all respects, that were cuirent, under
the denomination of Purdhas, in the century prior to
Christianity.

The inference deduced from the discrepancy be-,
tween the actual form and the older definition of a
Pur4fia, unfavourable to the antiquity of the extant
works generally, is converted into certainty, when we
come to examine them in detail. For, although they
have no dates attached to them, yet circumstances are
sometimes mentioned, or alluded to, or references to
authorities are made, or legends are narrated, or places
are particularized, of which the comparatively recent
date is indisputable, and which enforce a corresponding
reduction of the antiquity of the work in which they
are discovered. At the same time, they may be ac¬
quitted of subservience to any but sectarial imposture.
They were pious frauds for temporary purposes: they
never emanated from any impossible combination of
the Brahmans to fabricate for the antiquity of the en¬
tire Hindu system any claims which it cannot fuUy
support. A very great poition of the contents of many,
some portion of the contents of all, is genuine and old.
The sectarial interpolation, or embellishment, is always
sufficiently palpable to be set aside without injury to
the more authentic and primitive material; and the
Purdfias, although they belong especially to that stage

XU PREFACE.

of the Hindu religion in which faith in some one di¬
vinity was the prevailing principle, are, also, a valuable
record of the form of Hindu belief which came next
in order to that of the Vedas; which grafted hero-
worship upon the simpler ritual of the latter; and which
had been adopted, and was extensively, perhaps uni¬
versally, established in India, at the time of the. (xrcek
invasion. The Hercules of the Gi’eek writei’S was, in¬
dubitably, the Balardma of the Hindus; and their no¬
tices of Mathurd on the Jumna, and of the kingdom
of the Suraseni and the Pandsean countzy, evidence
the prior currency of the traditions which coizstitutc
the argument of the Mahabhdrata, and whidz are con¬
stantly repeated in the Pur46as, relating to the Paii-
dava and YMava races, to Kfishha and his contem-
poi^ heroes, and to the dynasties of the solar aizd
lunar kings.

The theogony and cos mogony o f the Pur^iias may,
probably, be traced to t he Vedas. They are not, as
far as is yet known, described iiz detail in those works;
but they are frequently alluded to, in a straizi more or
less mystical and obscure, which indicates acziualiztance
with tlzeir emstence, and which seems to have supplied
the Pur46as with the groundwork of their systems.
The scheme ^ primary or elementary creation they
borrow^om thelydnkhya philosophyj which is, pro-
bably7 one'SrSrenakiest foims of speculation on man
and nature, amongst the Hindus. Agreeably, however,
to that part of the Paurdiiik chai*acter which there is
reason to suspect of later origin, their inculcatiozi of
the worship of a favourite deity, they combine the
interposition of a areator with the independent ovolu-

PREFACE.

xm

tion of matter, in a somewhat contradictory and unin-
teUigible style. It is evident, too, that their accounts
of secondary creation, or the development of the exist¬
ing forms of things, and the disposition of the universe,
are derived from several and different sources; and it
appears veiy likely that they are to be accused of some
of the incongruities and absurdities by which the nai--
rative is disfigui’ecl, in consequen ce of having attempted
to assign reality and significancy to w-liat was merely"^
metaphor or mysticism. There is, however, amidst the
unnecessary complexity of the description, a general .
agreement, amongst them, as to the origin of things
and, tnem final d ista^ution; and, in many of the circum¬
stances. there is a str iking concurrence with the ideas,,
which seem to have pervaded t he whole of the ancient
\^dd, and which we may, tnerefore, beli eve to be fait h¬
fully represente d in the FurAhas..

' The pantheism of the Pm’dhas is one of their in¬
variable characteristics; although the particular divinity ■
who is all things, from whom all things proceed, and
to whom all things retuni, be diversified according to
their individual sectarial bias. They seem to have de¬
rived the notion from the Vedas; but, in them, the
one universal Being is of a higher order than a per¬
sonification of attributes or elements, and, however
imperfectly conceived, or unworthily described, is God.
In the Purdfias, the one only Supreme Bemg is sup ¬
posed to be manifest in the person of Siva, or Vishfiu,
either in the way of illusion, or in sport; and one or
other of these divinities is, therefore, also the cause oJ
"airthatis.—^is. h imself, ail that exists. The identity o
~God an^nature is not a new notion; it was very genera

XIV

PEEPACB.

in the speculatio ns of antiquity; but it assumed a new
vigour in the early ages of Ohristianity, and was earned
to an equal pitch of extravagance by the Platonic
Christians as by the Saiva or Vaishhava Hindus. It
seems not impossible that there was some communi¬
cation between them. We know that there was an
active communication between India and the Red Sea,
in the early ages of the Christian era, and that doc¬
trines, as well as articles of merchandise, were brought
to Alexandria from the formei*. Epiphanius* and Eu¬
sebius® accuse Scythianus of having imported from
India^ in the second century, books on magic, and he¬
retical notions leading to Manichaeism; and it was at
the same period that Ammonius Saccas instituted the
sect of the new Platonists at Alexandria. The basis of
his heresy was, that true philosophy derived its origin
from the eastern nations. His doctrine of the identity
of God and the universe is that of the Vedas and Pu-
r4das; and the practices he enjoined, as well as their
object, were predsely those described in several of the
Pur&tias, under the name of Toga. His disciples wer^e
taught to extenuate, by mortification and contemplar
faon, the bodily restraints upon the immortal spirit;
so that, in this life, they might enjoy communion with
the Supreme Being, and ascend, after death, to the
^iyersal P^ent.» That these are Hindu tenets, the
following pages* wiU testify; and, by the admission of
^rr Alexan^an teacher, they originated in India.
The impoi-tation was, perhaps, not wholly unrequited;

^ Adv. Maoidueos.

* See Modieim, L, IL, i.

’ Hist. Erang,

* See Book VI., Chap. VII.

PREFACE.

XV

the loan may not have been left unpaid. It is not im¬
possible that the Hindu doctrines received fresh ani¬
mation from their adoption by the successoi-s of Am-
monius, and, especially, by the mystics, who may have
prompted, as well as employed, Ihe expressions of the
Purahas. Anquetil du Perron has given, ^ in the intro¬
duction to his translation of the ‘Oupnekhat’, several
hymns by Synesius, a bishop of the beginning of the
fifth century, which may serve as pai'allels to many of
the hymns and prayers addressed to Vishfiu in the
Vishfiu PurMa.

But the ascription, to individual and personal deities,
of the attributes of the one universal and spiritual Su¬
preme Being, is an indication of a later date than the
Vedas, certainly, and, apparently, also, than the Ei,m4-
yafia, where R4ma, although an incarnation ofVishfiu,
commonly appears in his human character alone.(^There
is something of the kind in the Mah&bhdrata, in respect
to Ejfishfia; espedally in the philosophical episode
known as the Bhagavad Gft4. In other places, the di¬
vine nature of Kfishfia is less decidedly affirmed; in
some, it is disputed, or denied; and, in most of the
situations in which he is exhibited in action, it is as a
prince and warrior, not as a divinity. He exercises no
superhuman faculties in the defence of himself or his
friends, or in the defeat and destruction of his foes.
The MahAbh&rata, however, is, evidently, a work of'
various periods, and requires to be read throughout,-
carefully and critically, before its weight as an authm^'
ity can be accurately appreciated.") As it is now in'

^ Theologia et Philosopbia Indica, Dissert., p. xxvi.

XYI

PBBPACE.

type,^—thanks to the public spiiit of the Asiatic So¬
ciety of Bengal, and their secretaay, Mr. J. Prinsep,—
it not he long before the Sanskrit scholars of the
continent will accurately appredate its value.

The Purahas are, also, works of evidently dilferent
ages, and have been compiled under different circum¬
stances, the precise nature of which we can but im¬
perfectly conjecture from internal evidence and from
what we know of the history of religious opinion in
India., It is highly probable that, of the pi'esent popular
forms of the Hindu religion, none assumed their actual
state earlier than the time of iSankara AchArya, the
. great Saiva reformer, who flourished, in all likelihood,

I in the eighth or ninth century. Of the Vaishflava
teachers, Rdm4nuja dates in the twelfth century; Ma-
dhwdchiiya, in the thii'teenth; and Vallabha, in the
sixteenth;* and thePm*4iias seem to have accompanied,
or followed, their innovations; being obviously intended
to advocate the doctrines they taught.^ This is to as¬
sign to some of them a veiy modem aate, it is true;
but I cannot thmk that a higher can, with justice, be
ascribed to them. This, however, applies to some only
out of the number, as I shall presently proceed to
specify.

Another evidence of a comparatively modern date

Three voloznes have been printed: the fourth and last is
nnderstood to be 0683:17 completed.*

As. Bes., Vols. XVI. and XVIL Account of BSndu Sects.'}'

* It W88 completed in 1839: at least, it bears that date,
t This “Sketch of the Keligions Sects of the Hindus”, by Professor
W ilson. Hill be found in Hie first volume of his collected works.

PEEPACE.

xvn

must be admitted in those chapters of the Puraiias
■which, assuming a prophetic tone, foretell what dy¬
nasties of kings will reign in the Kali age. These
chapters, it is true, are found hut in four of the Pura¬
iias; but they are conclusive in bringing down the date
of those four to a period considerably subsequent to
Christianity. It is, also, to be remarked that the Vayu.
Vislniiu B hiiga^ ta. and Matsya P ur^Viiaa,- in which
these j)artic ]i, ilars. .a]:e .foreto ld, ha ve, in all other re¬
spects, the charactor_o f ns ^rent, a,nticpiit,y as an y works
of th eir class. ^

The invariable form of the Purdiias is that of a dia-'
logue, in which some person relates its contents, in'
reply to the inquudes of another. This dialogue is*'
interwoven with others, which ai’e repeated as having
been held, on other occasions, between different indi-
■viduals, in consequence of similar questions having
been asked. The immediate nan*ator is, commonly,
though not constantly, Lomaharshaha or Romahar-
glia)6a, tiie disciple of Vyasa, who is supposed to com¬
municate what w'as imparted to him by his preceptor,
as he had heard it from some other sage . Vv4sa. as--
will be seen in the body of the work ,^ is a generic title,
meaning ar> ‘flrranfTftT’ nr ‘f‘. ompiler\ I t i s, in this age.,

applied to K tdshiia Dwaipayana^ the son of Pai'iiiara,

" - - ■

-——nr _- _ -

^ On the history of the composition of the Puranas, as they
now appear, I have hazarded some speculations in my Analysis
of the Yayu Parana: Journ. Asiatic Society of Bengal, December,
1832.*

» Book ni.. Chapter III.

* See Yol. III. of our author’s collected writings.

I.

b

xvin

PBEFACB.

•who is said to have taught the Vedas and Pni’ddas to
'vanous disciples, but who appears to have been the
head of a college, or school, under whom various
learned men gave to the sacred literature of the Hindus
the form in which it now presents itself. In this task,
the disciples, as they are tenued, of Vy^sa were, rather,
his colleagues and coadjutors; for they were already
conversant with what he is fabled to have taught them
and, amongst them, Lomaharshaiia represents the class
of persons who were especially charged with the re¬
cord of political and temporal events. ■' He is called
Sdta, as if it was a proper name: but it is, more cor¬
rectly, a tide; and Lomaharshada was ‘a Siita’, that is,
a bard, or panegyrist, who was created, according to
our text,® to celebrate the exploits of princes, and who,
according to the V4yu and Padma PurMas, has a right,
by birth and profession, to narrate the Purddas, in pre¬
ference even to the Brahmans.'^ It is not unlikely,
therefore, that we are to understand, by his being re¬
presented as tide disciple of Vydsa, the institution of
some attempt, made under the direction of the latter,
to collect, from the heralds and annalists of his day,
the scattemd traditions which they had imperfectly
preserved: and hence the consequent appropriation of
the Pnrddas, in a great measure, to the genealogies of
I’egal dynasties and descriptions of the universe. How¬
ever this may be, the machinery has been but loosely

‘ See Book III., Chapter III. » Book L, Chapter XTTT.

’ Joum. Royal As. Soo., VoL V., p. 281.*

• The aitiole referred to ie from the pen of Professor Wilson, and has
been reprinted.

PBEFACE.

XIX

adhered to; and many of the Pnrdi'ias, like the Vishhu,
are i*efeiTed to a different narrator.

An account is given, in the following work,‘ of a
series of PaurMik compilations of which, in tlieir
present form, no vestige appeal’s. ■jLomahai’shaiia is
jaid to have had six disciples, three of whom oninposed,.
as many fundamental Samh i tAs^ whjjgt he himself com--,
piled a^foiirth.^ By a Saihhita is generally understood
a ‘collection’ or ‘Compilation’. The Samhitas of the
Vedas are collections of hymns and prayers belonging
to them, arranged according to the judgment of some
individual sage, who is, tlierefore, looked upon as the
originator and teacher of each. The Sanihitds of the
iPurdiias, then, should bo analogous compilations, at¬
tributed, respectively, to Mitrayu, ^^m^ap4yaua, Akfi-
tabraiia, and Romahai’shaiia: no such Paurdiiik Sam-
hitds are now known. The substance of the four is
said to be collected in the Vishiiu Puraha, which is,
also, in another place,® itself called aSamhitd. But such
compilations have not, as far as inquiry has yet pro¬
ceeded, been discovered. The specification may be ac¬
cepted as an indication of the Purui'ias’ having existed
in some other form, in which they are no longer met
with; although it does not appear that the arrangement
was incompatible with their existence as separate
works; for the Vishiiu Pimiiia, which is our authority
for tlie four Saihhitds, gives us, also, the usual enu¬
meration of the several Pur4iias.

There is another classification of thePurMas, alluded
to in the Matsya Pur^iia, and specified by the Padma

’ Book III., Chapter III.

* Book I., Chapter I.

xs

PEEFAOE.

Purina, but moi’e fully. It is not undeserving of no¬
tice, as it expresses tie opinion wbicb native writers
entertain of the scope of the Puriiias, and of their re¬
cognizing the subservience of these works to the dis-
' semination of sectarian principles. Thus, it is said, in
/ the Uttara Khaiida of the Padma,* that the Purdiias,
-iis well as other works, are divided into three classes,
< according to the qualities which prevail in them.' Thus,
' the Visliiiu, Ndradtya, Bhdgavata, Graruda, Padma, and
Pur Alias are SAttwika or pure,‘from the pre-
/ dominance, in them, of the Sattwa quality, or that of
, goodness and purity. They are, in fact, Vaishiiava Pu-
/•raiias. The Matsya, Krtnna, Linga, ^iva, Skanda, and
x^Agni PurAiias are TAmasa, or PurAAas of darkness,
/ from the prevalence of the quality of Tamas, ‘igno-
/•rance’, ‘gloom’. They are, indisputably, Saiva PurAhas.
* The third series, comprising the BrahmAMa, Brahma
/ Vaivarta, Markandeya, Bhavishya, VAmana, andBi’ahma
•^1 orAhas, are designated as BAjasa, ‘passionate’, from
> Rajas, the property of passion, which they are sup-
^po^d to represent The Matsya does not specify
’-which are the PurAAas that come under these designor
ctiona, but remarksf that those in which the MAhAtmya

* Chtpter XLH.:

mwrPr wVsnf ii

^ II

+ Chapter LII,!

PREFACE.

XXI

of Hari or Vish6u prevails are Sdttwika; tihose in which "
the legends of Agni or Siva predominate are TAmasa;^
and those which dwell most on the stories of Brahmd''
areRAjasa.'I have elsewhere stated^ that I considered'
the Rdjasa Pur46as to lean to the l^akta division of the
Hindus, the worshippers of l^akti or the female prin¬
ciple; founding this opinion on the character of the
legends which some of them contain, such as the Durg^
M&hatmya, or celebrated legend on which the worship
of Durgd or K4h is especially founded, which is a
principal episode of the Mdrkandeya. The Brahma
Vaivarta also devotes the greatest portion of its chap¬
ters to the celebration of R4dh4, the mistress ofKfishAa,
and other female divinities. Colonel Vans Kennedy,
however, objects to the application of the term 1^4kta
to this last division of the Puridas; the worship of
l^akti being the especial object of a different class of
works, the Tantras; and no such form of worship being
particularly inculcated in the Brahma Pur4ha.® This
last argument is of weight in regard to the particular
instance specified; and the designation of ^akti may
not be correctly applicable to the whole class, although
it is to some of the series: for there is no incompati¬
bility in the advocacy of a T4ntrika modification of

> As. Res., Vol. XVI., p. 10.*

* Asiatic Jonnial, March, 1837, p. 241.

RT*i%5 I

YoL 1.) p. 12, foot-note, of the author's coUectiYe Piqj^ons,

XXII

PEEFACE.

tlie Hindu religion by anyPurdiia; and it has^ unques¬
tionably, been practised in woi'ks known asUpapur&iias.
The proper appropriation of the third class of the Pu-
rdfias, according to the Padma Pux*aha, appears to be
to the worship of Erishha, not in the chai'acter in which
he is represented in the Vishiiu and Bhagavata Purd-
has,—in which the incidents of his boyhood are only
a portion of his biography, and in which the human
chai'acter largely participates, at least in his riper yeai's,
—^but as the infant Kf ishha, Grovinda, Bdla Gropdla, the
sojourner in Vfinddvana, the companion of tlie cow¬
herds and milkmaids, the lover of Rddhd, or as the
juvenile master of the universe, Jaganndtlia. The term
Rdjasa, implying the animation of passion and enjoy¬
ment of sensual delights, is applicable not only to the
character of the youthful divinity, but to those with
whom his adoration in these forms seems to have
originated, the Gosains of Gokul and Bengal, the fol¬
lowers and descendants of Vahabha and Ohaitanya, the
priests and proprietors of Jaganndth and ^rindthdwdr,
who lead a life of affluence and indulgence, and vin¬
dicate, both by precept and practice, the reasonable¬
ness of the Rdjasa property, and the congruity of tem¬
poral enjoyment with the duties of religion.^

The Pui’anas are unifoi’mly stated to be eighteen in
number. It is said that there ai'e also eighteen Upa-
purMas or minor Purahas: but the names of only a
few of these are specified in the least exceptionable

' As.Hes., VoLXVL, p.86.*

* Coll«1Sl(t WoikB of Piofegsor Wilson, Vol. I, p. 119.

PREFACE.

xxni

authorities; and the greater number of the works is
not procurable. With regard to the eighteen Puraiias,
there is a peculiarity in their specification, which is
proof of an interference with the integrity of the text,
in some of them, at least; for each of them specifies
the names of the whole eighteen. Now, the list could
not hav6 been complete whilst the work that gives it
was unfinished; and in one only, therefore, the last of
the series, have we a right to look for it. As, however,
there are more last words than one, it is evident that
the names must have been insei*ted in all except one,
after the whole were completed. Which of the eighteen
is the exception, and truly the last, there is no due to
discover; and the specification is, probably, an intei^
polation, in most, if not in all.

The names that are specified are commonly the**
same, and are as follows: 1. Br4hma, 2. P4dma, 3. Vai-
shfiava, -4. iSaiva, 5. Bhdgavata, 6. N&radfya, 7. Mix'-
kafideya, 8. Agneya, 9. Bhavishya, 10. Brahma Vai-
varta, 11. Lainga, 12. Vdi’dha, 13. Sk&nda, 14. Vamana,
15. Kaurma, lA M4tsya, 17. G4ruda, 18. BrahmMda.^
This is from the twelfth book of the Bhdgavata, and
is the same as occurs in the Vishfiu.® In other authori-

* The names are put attributivoly; the noun substantive, Pa¬
rana, being understood. Thus, Vaishiiavani Purdnam means the
Purana of Vishnu; Saivam Puranam, the Parana of &va; Brdh-
mam Purdnam, the Purdna of Brahmd. It is equally correct, and
more common, to use the two substantives in apposition, as
Vishnu Parana, Siva Purdna, &c. In the original Sanskrit the
nouns are compounded, as Vishnu-purdna, &c.: but it has not
been customary to combine them, in their European shape.

^ Book III., Chapter VI.

XXIV

PKEFACE.

ties there are a few variations. The list of the Kiiriua
Pimina omits the Agni Purdha, and substitutes the
Vayn.* The Agui leaves out the ^iva, aud iuserts the
Vayu. The Var^ha omits the Graruda and Brahmai'ida,
unci inserts the VAyu and Nai’asimha: in this last, it is
singular. The Msirkaxideya agi*ees with the Vishfiu and
Bhtigavata, in omittmg the Vtiyu. The Matsya, like
the Agni, leaves out the ^iva.

Some of the Pimlhas, as the Agni, Matsya,f Bhdgar
vata,J aud Padma, also particularize the number of
stanzas which each of the eighteen contains. In one
or two instances they disagree; but, in general, they
; concur. The aggi*egate is stated at 40Q,000 slokas, or
1,600,000 lines., These are fabled to be but an abridg¬
ment; the whole amount being a kroi*e or ten millions

* Professor Wilson’s IIS. has bnt font MSS. that

I have consnlted hayo TIT#l®W'*ren^. And the latter reading is to
be preferred. The Kt'irma professes, at the end of its list of the Pu-
liitas, to have enumerated eighteen; and, unless it names both the Vriyu
and the Agni, it ennmerates bnt seyenteen.
t The particulars ftom the Mabya -will be found in the sequel.
t The computation of the Bhdgmata, XII., 13, 4-8, is as follows:
Brahma, 10,000 stanzas; Padma, 55,000; T'w/uf«, 23,000; iSiva, 34,000;
Bhiigataia, 18,000; Kdrada, 25,000; MdrhaAdetjO, 9,000; Agni, 15,400^
Bhacishga, 14,500; Brtdma-vainarta, 18,000; Linga, 11,000; Vard/u^
24,000; Skamla, 81,100; Vdmana, 10,000; Ktinna, 17,000; Matsya,
14,000; Garitda, 19,000; Brahmdiida, 12,000. The total is 400,000.

The Bhagaeata here calls the Agni and the Qaruia by the names of
I tihna an»l fSaapanta,

The Deei-hhdgwata substitutes, in place of the Mm, the Vdyu, and
awigns to it 10,000 stanzas. Further, it gives to the Agni, 18,000; to
the Skanda, $1,000; and to the Bralimdiida, 12,100.

but reckons it
‘0 tb® To tho

Skimda It gives 84,000; and to the Brakm&Ada, 12,200.

Vot T edition of BhAgavata-yurMa,

lol. I., Prefiice, pp.MxxTi-Lxx}ax, foot-note. c

PBEKAOE.

XXV

of stanzas, ov even a thousand millions." If all tlio
fragmentaiy portions claiming, in various parts of In¬
dia, to belong to the Puraiias were admitted, their ex¬
tent would much exceed the lesser, though it would
not reach the larger, enumeration. The fonner is, how¬
ever, as I have elsewhere stated,‘ a quantity that an
individual European scholar could scarcely expect to
peruse witli due care and attention, unless his whole
time were devoted exclusively, for many years, to die
task. Yet, without some such labour being achieved,
it was clear, from the crudity and inexactness of all
that had been hitherto published on the subject, witli
one exception,® that sound views on the subject of
Hindu mythology and tradition were not to be ex¬
pected. Circumstances, which I have already explained
ui the i^aper in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic So¬
ciety, refeiTcd to above, enabled me to avail myself of

* Journ. Royal As. Soc., Yol. V., p. 61 . f
® I allude to the valuable vrork of Colonel Vans Kennedy,
Researches into the Nature and Affinity of Ancient and Hindu
Mythology. However much I may differ from that learned and
industrious miter’s conclusions, I must do him the justice to ad¬
mit that he is the only author who has discussed the subject of
the mythology of the Hindus on right principles, by drawing his
materials from authentic sources.

* So says the Matsya-imrMa^ LII., ad init:

irgr»t wwr i

f^nr^^TTvpif yig ii

t See Professor 'Wilson’s coUectiye works, Vol. Ill,

XXVI

PBEFACB.

competent assistance, by which I made a minute ab¬
stract of most of the Purdhas. In course of time I
hope to place a tolerably copious and connected ana¬
lysis of the whole eighteen before Oriental scholars,
and, in the meanwhile, offer a brief notice of their
several contents.

In genei’al, the enumeration of the PurdAas is a
simjile nomenclature, with the addition, in some cases,
of the number of verses; but to these the Matsya Pu-
rdiia* joins the mention of one or two circumstances
peculiar to each, which, although scanty, are of value,
as offering means of identifying the copies of the Pu-
rdhas now found with tliose to which the Matsya re-
fern, or of discovering a difference between the present
and the past. I shall, therefore, prefix the passage de¬
scriptive of each Purdfia, from the Matsya. It is neces¬
sary to i*emai’k, however, that, in the comparison in¬
stituted between that description and the Purdfia as it
exists, I necessarily refer to the copy or copies which
I employed for the purpose of examination and anar
lysis, and which were procm-ed, with some trouble and
cost, in Benai’es and Calcutta. In some instances my
manuscripts have been collated with others from dif¬
ferent parts of India; and the result has shown that,
with regard at least to the Brahma, Vishiiu, Vdyu,
Matsya, Padma, Bhdgavata, and Kiirma Purdfias, the
same works, in all essential respects, are generally cur¬
rent under the same appellations. Whether this is in¬
variably the case, may he doubted; and further inquiiy
may possibly show that I have been obliged to con-

* Chapter LU.

PBEFACE.

xxvn

tent myself with mutilated or uuauthentic Wf»rks.‘ It
is with this reseiwatioii, therefore, that I must he un¬
derstood to speak of the concurrence or disagi’eement
of any Purdiia with the notice of it*which the Matsya
Pur46a has preserved.

1. Brahma Puraha. “That, the whole of which was
formerly repeated by Brahind to Marichi,,is called the
Brdhma Purmia, and 'contains ten thousand stanzas.”®
In all the lists of the Pur^has, the Brahma is placed
afthe head-ef-thc"series",'and'is, thence, sometimes
also entitled the Adi or ‘first’ Purdua. It is also de-

i

signated as theSaura; as it is, in great pai-t, appropriated
to the worship of Sfirya, ‘the sun'. There ai’e, how¬
ever, works bearing these names which belong to the
class of Upapui’dfias, and which ai’e not to be con¬
founded with the Brahma. It is usually said, as above,
to contain ten thousand slokas; but the number actu¬
ally occurring is between seven and eight thousand.
There is a supplementaiy or concluding section, called
the Bi*ahmottara Pimdna, and which is different from
a portion of the Skanda called the Brahmottai'a KhaiiQa,
which contains about three thousand stanzas more. But

^ Upon examining the translations of different passages from
the Puraiias, given by Colonel Vans Kennedy in the work men¬
tioned in a former note, andc comparing them with the text of the
manuscripts I have consulted, I find such an agreement as to
warrant the belief, that there is no essential difference bet'ween
the copies in his possession and in mine. The varieties which
occur in the MSS. of the East India Company’s, Library will be
noticed in the text

XXVIII

PREFACE.

then*, is eveiy reason to conclude that this is a distinct
and unconnected work.

The immediate naiTator of the Brahma Pnrdha is
Lomaharshafia, vrho communicates it to the foshis or
sages assembled at Naimisharaiiya., as it was originally
revealed by Brahmd, not to Marichi, as the Matsya af-
iinns, but toDaksha, another of the patriarchs. Hence
its denomination of the Brahma Pur46a.
sJHie early chapters of tliis work give a description
of the creation, an account of the Manwantaras, and
the history of the solar and lunar dynasties to the time
of Krishna, in a summaiy mannei*, and in words which
are common to it and several other Purdhas. A brief
description of the universe succeeds; and then come
a number of chaptera relating to the holiness of Orissa,
with its temples and sacred groves dedicated to the
sun, to l^iva, and Jaganndtha, the latter especially.
These chapters are characteristic of this Pur4jfia, and
show its main object to be the promotion of the wor¬
ship of Kfishha as Jaganiritha.^ To these particulars

' Colonel Tans Kennedy objects to this character of the Brahma
1 uraua, and observes that it contains only two short descriptions
of pagodas, the one of Kohdditya, the other of Jaganndtha. In
that ewe, his copy must differ considerably from those I have
met with; for, in them, the description of Pamshottama Kshetra,
the holy land of Orissa, runs throngh forty chapters, or one third
of the work. The description, it is tme, is interspersed, in the
usual rambling strain of the Puranas, with a variety of legends,
some ancient, some modem; but they are intended to iUustrate
some local circumstance, and are, therefore, not incompatible with
the mam design, the celebration of the glories of Purushottama
Lahetra. The specification of the temple of Jagannatha, how-

PREFACE.

XXIX

succeeds a life of KjfishAa, wHcli is, word for word, the
same as that of the Vishdu PuvMa; a nd the coiupila-
tion tenninates with a particular detaU of the mode in
which Yoga or contemplative devotion, the object of
which is stUl Vishnu, is to be performed. There is
little, in this, which coiTesponds with the definition of
a Pancha^li^ shaha .Purafia; an d the mention of the
temples of Orissa, the date of the original consti-uction
of which is recorded,^ shows that it could not have
been compiled earlier than the thii’teenth or f ourtg enth
century._ '

The UttaraKhaiida of the Bi'ahmaPuraiia bears still
more entirely the character of a Mdhatmya or local
legend; being intended to celebrate the sanctity of the
BalajA river, conjectured to be the same as the Banas
in Marwar. There is no clue to its date: but it is clearly
modern; grafting personages and fictions of its own in¬
vention on a few hints from older authorities.®

PadmaPui’4fia. “That which contains an account-^
of the period when the woi'ld was a golden lotos
(padma), and of all the occuiTences of that time, is,
therefore, called the Pddma by the wise. It contains
fifty-five thousand stanzas.”® The second Purdiia, in

ever, is, of itself, sufficient, in my opinion, lo determine the
character and era of the compilation.

‘ See Account of Orissa Proper, or Cuttack, by A. Stirling,
Esq.: Asiatic Res., Vol. XV., p. 305.

^ See Analysis of the Brahma Purdna: Journ. Royal As. Soc.,
Vol. V., p. 65.

XXX

PKEFACE.

the usual lists, is always the Pddma, a veiy voluminous
work, containing, according to its own statement, as
well as that of other authorities, fifty-five thousand
slokas; an amount not far from the ti’uth.

'divided amongst five books, or Kba6das; 1. TJbo^Siisbti
Khaiida or section on creation; 2. The Bhumf K hginda,
description of the eai’th;^ 3. The S warg’arfi ^^tda, chap¬
ter on heaven: 4. P^tAI a Khatida ,^eEanto* on the re¬
gions below the earth; and 5. the Uttara Khahda, last
or suppleinentaiy chapter. There is also current a
sixth division, the Kriyd Yoga Sdra, a treatise on the
practice of devotion.

The denominations of these divisions of the Padnia
Puraiia convey but an imperfect and pai*tial notion of
their contents. In the firet, or section which treats of
creation, the narrator is Ugrasravas, the Siita, the son
of Lomaharshaiia, who is sent, by his father, to the
J^ishis at Kaimishdi’ahya, to communicate to them the
Puraiia, which, from its containing an account of the
'lotos (padma) in which Brahm4 appeai’cd at creation,
is termed the PMma, or Padma Pur46a. The Sdta re¬
peats what was originally communicated by Brahma
to Pulastya, and by him to Bhfshma. The early chap-
tera narrate the cosmogony, and the genealogy of the
patriai‘chal families, much in the same style, and often
in the same words, as the VishAu; and short accounts
of the Manwantaras and regal dynasties: but these,
which are legitimate PaurdAik matters, soon make way
for new and unauthentie inventions, illustrative of the
virtues of the lake of Pushkara or Pokher, in Ajmir,
as a place of pilgrimage.

The BhAmi EhaAda, or section of the earth, defers

PBEFACE.

XXXI

any description of the earth until near its close; filling
up one hundred and twenty-seven chapters with le¬
gends of a very mixed description, some ancient, and
common to other PurAiias, but the greater part peculiar
to itself, illustrative of Tfi’thas, either figuratively so
tenned,—as a wife, a parent, or a Guru, considered as
a sacred object,—or places to which actual pilgrimage
should be performed.

The Swarga Khafida describes, in the first chaptei’s,
the relative positions of the Lokas or spheres above
the earth; placing above all, Vaikniitha, the sphere of'
Vishiiu: an addition which is not warranted by what
appeal’s to be the oldest cosmology. ‘ Miscellaneous
notices of some of the most celebrated princes then
succeed, confoi’mably to the usual narratives; and these
are followed by rules of conduct for the several castes,
and at different stages of life. The rest of the book is
occupied by legends of a diversified description, inti’o-
duced without much method or contrivance; a few of
which, as Daksha’s sacrifice, are of ancient date, but
of which the most are original and modern.

The Pdtala Khafida devotes a brief introduction to
the description of Pdtila, the regions of the snake-
gods. Buti the name of R4ma having been mentioned,
^esha, who has succeeded Pulastya as spokesman,
proceeds to narrate the history of R4ma, his descent,
and his posterity; in which the compiler seems to have
taken the poem of K41id4sa, the Raghu Vam^a, for his
chief authority. An originality of addition may be sus¬
pected, however, in the adventures of the horse des-

* See Book 11., Chapter VII.

xxxn

PREFACE.

tined by Rduaa for an Aswamedha, which fonn the
subject of a great many chapters. When about to lie
sacrificed, the horse turns out to be a Brahman, eon-
deinued, by an imprecation of Dinwasas, a sage, to as¬
sume the equine natui’e, and who, by having been
sanctified by connexion with Rama, is released fi'oiu
his metamoi'phosis, and despatched, as a spirit of light,
to heaven. This piece of Vaishiiava fiction is f()llow(*d
by praises of the iSri Bhdgavata, an account of Krishna’s
juvenilities, and the merits of worshipi)ing Vislniu.
These accounts are communicated through a machinery
boiTowed from the Tantras: they are told by Radusiva
to Pdiwatf, the ordinaiy interlocutors of Tdutrika com¬
positions.

The Uttara Khafifia is a most voluminous aggrega¬
tion of veiy heterogeneous mattei*s; hut it is consistent
in adopting a decidedly Vaishfiava tone, and admitting
no compromise with any other form of faith. The chief
subjects are first discussed in a dialogue between king
Dilfpa and the Muni Vasishfha; such as the merits of
bathing in the mouth of Mdgha, and the potency of
the Mantra or prayer adebessed to Lakshmi Ndrayaiia.
But the nature of Bhakti, faith in Vlshiin—the use of
VaisMava marks on the body—the legends of Vishiiu’s
Avatdras, and especially of Rdma—and the coustriui-
tion of images of Vislniu—are too important to be
left to mortal discretion. They ai'e explained by ►^iva
to Pdrvatt, and wound up by the adoration of Vishliu
by those divinities. The dialogue then revei’ts to the
king and the sage; and the latter states why Vishfiu is
the oifiy one of the triad entitled to respect; ^iva being
licentious, Brahmd an-ogant, and Vishiiu alone pure.

PREFACE.

xxxm

Vasish&a then repeats, after ^iva, the M4h4tmya of
the Bhagavad Gltd; the merit of each book of which
is illustrated by legends of the good consequences, to
individuals, from perusing or heaidng it. Other Vaish-
Aava Mdh4tmyas occupy considerable portions of
this Khahda, especially the K4rttika M4h4tiuya, or
holiness of the month Karttika; illustrated, as usual,
by stories, a few of which are of an early origin, but
the gi’eater part modern, and peculiai’ to this Purdiia.^

The Kriyd Yoga S4ra is repeated, by Siita, to the
foshis, after Vyasa’s communication of it to Jaimini,
in answer to an inquiiy how religious merit might be
secui’ed in the Kali ago, in which men have become
incapable of the penances and abstraction by which
final liberation was formerly to be attained. The answer
is, of courae, that which is intimated in the last book
of the Vishjt'm Pur4fia—^personal devotion to Vishiiu.
Thinking of him, repeating his names, weai'ing his*
maaks, worshipping in his temples, ai*e a full substitute
for all other acts of moral, or devotional, or contem¬
plative, merit.

The different portions of the Padma Purdfia are, in
all probability, as many different works, neither of
which appi'oaches to the original definition of aPurdfia.
There may bo some connexion between the three first
portions, at least as to time: but thei’e is no reason to
consider them as of high antiquity. They specify
the Jainas, both by name and practices; they talk of
Mlechchhas, “baiharians”, flourishing in Incfia; they

‘ One of them, the Btory of Jaltodhara, is translated by
Colonel Vans Kennedy; Researches into the Nature and Afifiniiy
of Andent and Hindu Mythology, Appendix D.

SXSIV

PEEFACE.

commend the use of the frontal and other Vaishdava
marks; and they notice other subjects which, like these,
are of no i*emote origin. The Pat^a Khaiida dwells
copiously upon the Bhdgavata, and is, consequently,
posterior to it. The Uttara KhaiiSa is intolerantly
Vaishhava, and is, therefore, unquestionably modern.
It enjoins the veneration of the S^agraina stone and
Tulasf plant, the use of the Taptarmudra, or stamping
with a hot iron the name of Vishiiu on the skin, and a
variety of practices and obseiwanees undoubtedly no
part of the original system. It speaks of the shrines
of iSrfranga and Venkatadri in the Dekhin, temples that
have no pretension to remote antiquity; and it names
Haripura on the Timgabhadra, which is, in all likelihood,
the city of Vijayanagara, founded in the middle of the
fourteenth century. The Kiiya Yoga Sara is equally
a modern, and, apparently, a Bengali composition. No
poi-tiou of the Padma PurMa is-, probably, older than
the^twelfth century; and the last paa*ts may be as recent
as, the fifteenth or sixteenth. ^

3. Vishnu Purdha. **That in which Par4^ara, begin-
ning with the events of the Vardha Kalpa, expounds
all duties, is called theVaishnava; and the leai'ned know
its extent to be twenty-three thousand stanzas.” “ The

' The grounds of these condusions aie more particularly
detailed in my Analysis pf the Padma Purina: J. E. As. Soc.
Vol. V., p. 280. ’

ETBWnif f^TflVT: 1

PEEFACE.

XXXV

third ParMa of the lists is that which has been selected
for translation, the Vishhu. It it unnecessary, there¬
fore, to offer any general summary of its contents; and
it will be convenient to reserve any remarks upon its
character and probable antiquity,for a subsequent page.
It may here be observed, however, that the actual
number of verses contained in it falls far short of the
enumeration of the Matsya, with which the Bh^gavata
concurs. Its actual contents are not seven thousand
stanzas. All the copies—and, in this instance, they are
not fewer than seven in number,—procured both in
the east and in the west of India, agree; and there is
no appearance of any part being wanting. There is a
beginning, a middle, and an end, in both text and com¬
ment; and the work, as it stands, is, incontestably,
entire. How is the discrepancy to be explained?

4. V4ya Pur46aj(^‘The PurMa in which Vdyu has**
declared the laws of duty, in connexion with the ^weta
Kalpa, and which comprises the M4h4tmya of Rudra,
is the V4yavlya Purdha: it contains twenty-four thou¬
sand verses.”^ The ^iva or 6aiva Pur^a is, as above
remai’ked, oildtted in some of the lists; and, in general,
when that is the case, it is replaced by the V4yu or
Vdyavlya. Wlien the ^iva is specified, as in the Bh4"
gavata, then the V4yu is omitted;* intimating the pos¬
sible identity of these two works', f This, indeed, is

* See p. XXIV. supra.

t This identity is distinctly asserted in the as follows:

XXXVI

FBXFACE.

confinned by the Matsya 5 which describes the Vdya-
vi'yaPar^a as characterized by its account of the great¬
ness of Rudra or Siiva; and Bdlam Bhaffa^ mentions,
that the VAyavfya is also called the l^aiva, though, ac¬
cording to some, the latter is the name of an UpapurAiia*
Colonel Vans Kennedy observes, that, in the west of
India, the Saiva is considered to be an Upa or hninor’
Puraiia.*

Another proof that the same work is intended by
the authoritieshere followed, theBhdgavata andMatsya,
under different appellations, is their concurrence in
the extent of the work; each specifying its verses to
be twenty-four thousand. A copy of the 6iva Puraiia,
of which an index and analysis have been prepared,
<loes not contain more than about seven thousand. It
cannot, therefore, be the ^iva Pur4iia of theBhdgavata:
and we may safely consider that to be the same as the

Vdyavlya of the Matsya.® • ,,

_ ^' ./ _

* Commentary on the Mitdkshard, Vyavahara Kaiida.

® As. Jonrn,, March, 1837, p. 242, note.

® Analysis of the Yiju Purdria: Jonm. As. Soc. of Bengal,
December, 1882, \

* For accounts of worts entitted ^vorpurdiia and LagJiu-iwa~}iurdiia,
see (Jaiahg. Cod, Mamacript. Samerit. Poslve^c. Bodkicoh, &e„ §§ 113.
127, and 129. ’

Beading the first, described in § 118, Dr. Anfrecht obseryes: “Do
libio ipso, qnem ad celebiandnm coltum laingicum scriptnm esse vides,
in praesentia nihil teinere asseTeraTerim; exspectandniu enim est, dnm
do Standapnxdiiae parte, quae feramihitniya appelktnr, accnratiora
andiamns. Ex qno libellnm nostmm desmntnm esse, iis quae infra
dicta sunt, suspicari possis.^^

PREFACE.

xxxvn

The V&yg Pur^a is naiTated. by Siita. to the feshis
at yaimish4ra6ya, as i t was formerly told, at tlie same
pla^, to similar persons, by V4yu; a repetition of cu-^
oumstances not uncharacteristic of the inartificial style
of this PurMa. It is divided into four Pddas, termed,
severally, Prakriyd, Upodgh^ta, Anushanga, and Upa-
saihh^a; a classification peculiar to this work. These
are preceded by an index, or heads of chapters, in the
manner of the Mahdbharata and R4mdyafia—another
peculiarity.

The Pi'akriyd portion contains but a few chapters,
and treats, chiefly, of elemental ci’eation, and the first
evolutions of beings, to the same purpoi't as the Vishnu,
but in a more obscure and unmethodical style. The
Upodghdta then continues the subject of creation, and
describes the various KaJpas or periods during which
the world has existed; a greater number of which is
specified by the i^aiva, than by the Vaishndva, Pur^as.
Thirty-three are here described, the last of which is
the iSweta or ‘white’ Kalpa, fi’om iSiva’s being born, in
it, of a white complexion. The genealogies of the pa¬
triarchs, the description of the universe, and the inci¬
dents of the first six Manwantaras are all treated of in
this part of the work; but they are intermixed with
legends and praises of iSiva, as the sacrifice of Daksha,
the Mahe4wai*a M4h4tmya, the ]S[flakaiiiha Stotra, and
others. The genealogies, although, in the main, the
same as those in the Vaishfiava Purdhas, present some
variations. A long account of the Pitris or progenitors
is also peculiar to this Pur4fia; as are stories of some
of the most celebrated Hishis who were engaged in the
distribution of the Vedas,

xxxvni

PBXFACX.

The third division commences with an account of
the seven feishis and their descendants, and describes
the origin of the different dasses of creatures from the
daughters of Daksha, with a profuse copiousness of
nomenclature, not found in any other Pur^a. With
exception of the greater minuteness of detail, the par¬
ticulars agree with those of the Vishhu Pur^a. A
chapter then occurs onthe worship of thePitris; another,
on Ththas or places sacred to them; and several, on
^the performance of Srdddhas, constituting the iSrMdha
Kalpa. After this comes a full account of the solar and
lunar dynasties, forming a parallel to that in the fol¬
lowing pages, with this difference, that it is, throughout,
in verse, whilst that of our text, as noticed in its place,
is, chiefly, in prose. It is extended, also, by the insertion
of detailed accounts of various incidents, briefly noticed
in the Visluiu, though derived, apparently, from a com¬
mon original. The section terminates with similar
accounts of future kings, and the same chronological
calculations, that are found in the Vishflu.

The last portion, the Upasamh&ra, describes briefly
the future Manwantaras, the measures of space and
time, the end of the world, the efficacy of Yoga, and the
glories of Sivapura, or the dwelling of iSiva, with whom
the Yogin is to be united. The manuscript concludes
with a different history of the successive teachers of
the V4yu Pur46a, traciiig them from Brahma to Vdyu,
from V4yu toBfihaspati, and from him, through various
deities and sages, to Dwaip4yana and Siita.

The account given of this Pur46a in the Journal of
the Asiatic Society of Bengal was limited to something
less than half the work; as I had not then been able to

PREFACE.

XXXIX

procure a larger portion. I have now a more complete
one of my own; and there are several copies in the
East India Company’s library, of the like extent. One,
presented by His Highness the Guieowar, is dated
Sam vat 1540, or A. D. 1483, and is, evidently, as old
as it professes to be. The examination I have made
of the work confirms the view I formerly took of it;
and, from the internal evidence it affords, it may, per¬
haps, be regarded as one of the oldest and most authen¬
tic specimens extant of a primitive PurMa.

It appears, however, that we have not yet a copy of
the entire V4yu PurMa, The extent of it, as mentioned
above, should be twenty-four thousand verses. The
Guieowar MS. has but twelve thousand, and is deno¬
minated the Piirv4rdha or fii'st portion. My copy is
of the like extent. The index also shows, that several
subjects i*emain untold; as, subsequently to the descrip¬
tion of the sphere of 6iva, and the periodical dissolution
of the world, the work is said to contain an account
of a succeeihng creation, and of various events that
occurred in it, as the birth of several celebrated foshis,
including that of Vy^sa, and a description of his distii-
bution of the Vedas; an account of the enmity between
Vasishfha and Visw4mitra; and a Naimishdrafiya Mdr
hd,tmya. These topics are, however, of minor impor¬
tance, and can scarcely carry the Purdiia to the whole
extent of the verses which it is said to contain. If the
number is accurate, the index must still omit a con¬
siderable portion of the subsequent contents.

^ 5. Sri Bhdgavata Purdna. “That in which ample^^

details of duty are described, and which opens with
(an extract from) the Gdyatri; that in which, the death

XI.

PREFACE.

of the Asui'a Vfitra is told, and in which the mortals
and immortals of the S4i’aswata Kalpa, with tlie events
that then happened to them in Ihe world, ai’e related;
that is celebrated as the BhAgavata, and consists of
eighteen thousand verses.”^ The Bh4gavata is a woi’k
of great celebrity in India, and exercises a more direct
and powerful influence upon the opinions and feelings
of the people than, perhaps, any other of the Purauas.
It is placed the fifth in all the lists: but tlie Padma
Purina ra nks it as_the eighteent h, as the extracted
substance of a fl the rest . According to tlie usual speci¬
fication, it con^ste of eighteen thousand slokas, distri¬
buted amongst three hundred and thirty-two chaptoi’s,
divided into twelve Skandhas or books. It is named
Bhagavata fi-om its being dedicated to the glorification
of Bhagavat or Vishfiu.

The Bhigav ata is communicated to the feishis at Nai-
m ishai-aiiya, by Sfita , as usual; but he only repeafr what
naiTate d by Suka, the son of Vyds a. to Pa rilfsh it;^ ■
theking ofE^tinipura^ ^llegl’Md8Qn-Qf^lj^na.'Having"
incurred th^precation of ahermit^ by wHicIi he was
sentenced to die of the bite of a venomous snake at
the exphation of seven days, the king, in preparation
for this event, repairs to the banks of the Ganges,
whither also come the gods and sages, to witness his

PREFACE. XLT

deatli. Amongst the latter is J§uka; and it is in reply
to Paiokshit’s question, what a man should do who is
about to die, that he narrates the Bhagavata, as he had
heard it fi-om Vy4sa: for nothing secures final hapj)i-
ness so certainly, as to die whilst the thoughts are
wholly engrossed by Vishfiu.

•"^he com*se of the narration opens wi th a co smogony,
which, although, in most respects, similar to that of
otherPurAfias, is more lai*gely intermixed withaHegoi-y
and mysticism, and deiives its tone more from the
Ved&nta than the Sdnkhya phUosophy. T he doctrine
of active creation by the Supreme, as one with V4su-
deva, is more distinctly asserted, with a more decided
enunciation of the effects being resolvable into Mdy4
or illusion. There are, also, doctrina l pecnl iai'ities
highly chai’acteristic of this Purdfia; amongst wlich is
the assei'tion, that it was originally communicated by
Brahm4 to NiSrada, that all men whatsoever, Hindus
of every caste, and even Mlechchhas, outcasts or bar¬
barians, might learn to have faith in Vdsudeva.
y In the third book, the interloc utoi’s are changed to
Maitreya and Vidura, the former of whom is the dis¬
ciple, in the Vishfiu Purifia; the latter was the half-
bi’other of the Kuru princes. M aitreya, again, gives
an account of the Srishii-lfla or sport of creation, in a
strain partly common to the p'uraiias, partly peculiai’;
although he declares he learned it from his teacher
Pard4ara, at the desire of Pulastyari refeiring, thus, to
the fe,bulous origin of the VishAuPurMa, and fiirnish-
ing evidence of its priority. Again, however, the

‘ See Book L, Chapter L, adjmem.

XUl

PBEFACE.

autliolity is changed; and ihe nan*ative is said to have
been that which was communicated by Sesha to the
Ndgas. The creation of BrahmA is then described, and
the divisions of time are explained. A veiy long and
peculiar account is given of the VarAha incarnation of
Vishnu, which is followed by the creation of the Prar
jApatis and SwAyaihbhuva, whose daughter Devahilti
is married to Kardama jfoshi; an incident peculiar to
this work, as is that which follows, of the AvatAra of
VishAu as Kapila the son of Kardama and Devahilti,
the author of the SAnkhya philosophy, which he ex¬
pounds, after a VaishAava fashion, to his mother, i.n_
the last nine chapters of this section.

The Manwantara of SwAyambhuva, and the multipli¬
cation of the patriarchal families, are next described
.with some peculiarities of nomenclature, which are
pointed out in the notes to the parallel passages of the
VishAuPurAna. The traditions ofDhruva,VeAa^PAithu,
And other nrinces of this period, are the other subjects
of the fourwi- Skandha, and are contmued, in the fifth,
to that of the Bharata who obtained emancipation. The
|details generally confonn to those of the VishAu Pu-
rAAai and the same words are often employed; so that
it would be difficult to determine which work had the
best right to them, had not the BhAgavata itself indi¬
cated its obl^ations to the VishAu. The remainder of
the fifth book is occupied with the description of the
universe; and the same conformity with the VishAu
continues.

This is only partially the case with the sixth book,
which contains a variety of legends of a miscellaneous
description, intended to illustrate the merit of worship-

PREFACE.

XLiri

ping Vishnu. Some of them belong to the early stock;
but some are, apparently, novel. The seventh book is,
mostly, occupied with the legend of Prahldda. In the
eighth, we have an account of the remaining Manwan-
taras; in which, as happening in the course of them, a
variety of ancient legends are repeated, as the battle
between the king of the elephants and an alligator, the
churning of the ocean, and the dwarf and fish Avataras.
The ninth book narrates the dynasties of the Vaivas-
wata Manwantara, or the princes of the solar and lunar
races to the time of Kf ishfia.^ The particulars conform,
generally, with those recorded in the Vishfiu.

The tenth book is tlie characteristic part of this
Purdfia, and the poi*tion upon which its popularity is
founded. It is appropriated entirely to the history of
Efishfia, which it narrates much in the same manner
as the Vishiiu, but in more detail; holding a middle
place, however, between it and the extravagant prolixity
with which the Hari Vamsa repeats the story. It is not
necessary to particularize it further. It has been trans¬
lated into, perhaps, all the languages of India, and is
a favourite work with all descriptions of people.

The eleventh book describes the desti*uction of the
YMavas and death of Kfishfia. Previous to the latter
event, Elfishha instructs Uddhava in the performance
of the Yoga; a subject consigned, by the Vishhu, to
the concluding passages. The narrative is much

^ A translation of the ninth, by Captain Fell, was published
in Calcutta, in different numbers of the Monthly and Quarterly
Magazine, in 1823 and 1824. The second volume of Maurice’s
Ancient History of Hindostan contains a translation, by Mr.Halhed,
of the tenth book, made through the medium of a Persian version.

xuv

PEEFACE.

the same, but something more summary than that of
the Vishi'm. The twelfth book continues the lines of
the kings of the Kali age, prophetically, to a similar
period as the Vishhu, and gives a like account of the
deterioration of all thmgs and their final dissolution.
Consistently with the subject of thePurifia, the serpent
Takshaka bites Parikshit, and he expires: and the work
should terminate; or the dose might be extended to the
subsequent sacrifice of Janamejaya, for the destruction
of the whole serpent race. There is a rather awkwai’dly
introduced description, however, of the arrangement
of the Vedas and Pui’dfias by Vydsa, and the legend of
MarkaMeya’s interview with the infant Krishfia, dur-ing
a period of worldly dissolution. We then come to the
-'end of the Bhdgavata, in a series of encomiastic com¬
mendations of its own sanctity and efficacy to salvation.

Mr. Oolebrooke observes, of the Bhdgavata Purdiia:

I am, myself inclined to adopt an opinion supported
by many learned Hindus, who consider the celebrated
Sr*f Bhdgavata as the work of a grammarian pBopadeva],
supposed to have lived about six hundred years ago.”^
Oolond Vans Kennedy considers this an incautious
admission; because “it is unquestionable that the number
of the Purdfias have been always held to be eighteen-
but, m most of the Purdfias, the names of the eighteeii
are enumerated, amongst which the Bhdgavata is in¬
variably mduded; and, consequently, if it were com¬
posed only six hundred years ago, the others must be

As. Res., VoL VUl, p. 467 .*'

Misitdlaimit Emc^, VoL L, p. 104 .

PBEFACE.

XLV

of an equally modem date.”^ Some of them ai’e, no
doubt, more recent; but, as abeady remarked, no "weight
can be attached to the specification of the eighteen
names; for they are always complete: each Purdiia
enumerates all.* Which is the last? Which had the
opportunity of naming its seventeen predecessors, and
adding itself? The ai’gument proves too much. There
can be little doubt that the list has been insei*ted, upon
the authority of tradition, either by some improving
transcriber, or by the compiler of a work more recent
than the eighteen genuine Purafias. The objection is
also rebutted by the assertion, that there was another
Purdfia to which the name applies, and which is still
to be met with, the Devi Bhdgavata. ..

For the authenticity of the Bhdgavata is one of the
few questions, affecting their sacred literatui*e, which
Hindu writers have ventured to discuss. The occasion
is furnished by the text itself. In the fourth chapter
of the first book, it is said Jh^JVydsa arr^ged the_
Vedas, and (tivided them into four, and that he then
complied theltihdsa andPurdfias, a s a fi fth Veda. The
Vedas he gave to PaUa and tlie rest; the Itihdsa and
Purdifias, to Lomaharshafia, the father of Stita.® Then,

’ Eesearches into the Nature and Affinity of Ancient and
Hindu Mythology, p. 153, note.

* Book I., Chapter FV., 19-22. f

* But see the editor's second note in p. LIV.

t ^ wpft I

XLYl

PBEFAOE.

I’eflecting that tibese works may not be accessible to
women, iSiidras, and mixed castes, he composed the
Bhirata, for the purpose of placing religious knowledge
within their reach. Still, he felt dissatisfied, and wan¬
dered, in much peiplexity, along the banks of the
Saraswatf, where his hermitage was situated, when
Ndrada paid him a visit. Having confided to him his
secret and seemingly causeless dissatisfaction, Narada
suggested that it ai'ose from his not having sufficiently
dwelt, in the works he had finished, upon the merit of
worshipping Vdsudeva. Vydsa at once admitted its
truth, and found a remedy for his uneasiness in the
composition of theBhdgavata, which he taught to iSuka,
his sou.' Here, therefore, is the most positive assei-tion
that the Bhdgavata was composed subsequently to the
Purdfias, and given to a different pupil, and was not,
therefore, one of the eighteen of which Romaharshafia,
the Siita, was, accoi’ding to all concurrent testimonies,
the depositary. Still, the Bhdgavata is named amongst
the eighteen Purdfias, by the inspired authorities: and
how can these incongruities be reconciled?

The principal point in dispute seems to have been
started by an expression of Sridhara Swdmin, a com¬
mentator ontheBhdgavata, who, somewhat incautiously,
made the remark, that there was no reason to suspect

’ Book I., 7, 8.

PBBFACE.

xLvn

that, hy the t erm Bh^av ata, any other work than the
subject of his labours was intended. This was, there¬
fore, ah admission that some suspicions had been enter¬
tained of the coiTectness of the nomenclature, and that
an opinion had been expressed, that the term belonged,
not to tlie ^rf Bha gavata, but to the Devi Bhdgavata;
to a ^aiva, not a Vaishhava, composition. With whom
doubts prevailed prior to^rldharaSwamin, or by whom
they were urged, does not appear; for, as far as we
are aware, no works, anterior to his date, in which
they are advanced have been met with. Subsequently,
vai'ious tracts have been written on the subject. There
are three in tlie library of the East India Company:
the Duqana Mukha Ohapefik^, ,‘ A slap of the face for
the vile’ , by Ramdh*ama ; the Duijana Mukha Mah a .
Ohape^a, * ‘A great slap of tlie face for the wicked’,
by K441n4tha Bhaffa; and the Duqana Mukha Pad ma
PMuk4, ‘ A sbpper’lfor the same part of the same per^
sons, by a nameless dispu tant. T he fii'st maintains the
authenticity of the Bhdgavata; the second asserts, that

* The postscript of this tract has Dmjana-muJcha-chapeifikd. Iti the MS.,
Professor Wilson has noted, that it is referred to, in the Dufjanormiikka-
padma-pddukd, under a longer title, that given in the text; Burnouf—
■who, in the preface to the first volume of his BImjavata-jpurMa, has
translated and annotated the three treatises named above—remarks as
follows on that reference: ^^Le traitd anquel noire auteur fait allusion
parait Stre le mtoe que celui que j’ai plac4 le troisi^me, et qui est
consacr^ tout entier a prouver cette ^ese, que quand les Purfinas par-
lent du BhiLgavata, o’est le Bevibh^gavata quTls entendent designer, et
non pas notre ^ri Bhdgavata, qui fait autorite pour les Yaichuavas.
Oependant le passage sur lequel porte la presents note nomme ce traitd:
Un grand soufflet, etc.; ce qui ferait supposer qu’il exists deux traites
de ce genre, dont Tun sexait plus dteudu que Pautre, et dont nous ne
possdderions que le plus court, c’est-a-dire celui qui est traduit plus
bas.’» P. LXXVIL

XLvni

hbeface.

the Devi Bh^avata is the genuine Purdha;' and the
third replies to the arguments of the firat. There is,
also, a work by Purushottama, ent itIed.‘Thirteen ai'gu-
ments for dispellhig all doubts of the character of the
Bhdgavata’ (Bhdgavata swarhpa vishaya sankd nii’asa
trayodasa); whilst BdlamBhatta, a commentator on the
Mitakshard, indulging in a dissertation on the meaning
of the word Purdiia, adduces reasons for questioning
the insphed origin of this Purdha.

The chief arguments in favour of the authenticitj’^
of this Purdiia aa-e, the absence of any reason why
Bopadeva, to whom it is atoibuted, should not have
put his own name to it; its being mduded in all lists
of the Purdftas, sometimes with chcumstances that
belong to no other Pm’diia; and its being admitted to
be a Purdda, and cited as authority, or made the sub¬
ject of comment, by wiiters of established reputation,
of whom Sankara Achdrya is one: and he lived long
before Bopadeva. The reply to the fii'st argument is
rather feeble; the controversialists being unwilling,
perhaps, to admit the real object, the promotion of new
doctrines. It is, therefore, said, that Vydsa was an in¬
carnation of Ndrdyada; and the purpose was to propi¬
tiate his favour. The insertion of a Bhdgavata amongst
the eighteen Purdfias is acknowledged; but this, it is
said, can be the Devi Bhdgavata alone: for the circum¬
stances apply more correctly to it than to the Vaishnava
Bhdgavata. Thus, a text is quoted, by Kd^lndtha, from
a Purdda—^he does not state which—that says, of the
Bhdgavata, that it contains eighteen thousand versos,
twelve books, and three hundred and thirty-two chap-

PKEPACE.

XLIX

ters.* Kaslnatha asserts that the chapters of the Sri
Bhdgavata are three hundred and thirty-five, and that
the numbers apply, throughout, only to the Devi Bh^
gavata. It is also said that the Bh^avata contains an
account of the acquirement of holy knowledge by
Hayagriva; the particulai*s of the S^aswata Kalpa; a
dialogue between Ambarisha and Suka; and that it
commences with the Gdyati’i, or, at least, a citation of
it. These all apply to the Devi Bhtigavata alone, except
the last: but it also is more true of the Saiva than of
the Vaishhava work; for the latter has only one word
of the Gr4yatri, dhimahi, ‘we meditate’; whilst the
former to dhimahi adds, Yo nah pi*achoday4t, ‘who
may enlighten us.’ To the third argument it is, in the
first place, objected, that the citation of the Bhdgavata
by modem writers is no test of its authenticity; and,
with regard to the more ancient commentary of San¬
kara Achdrya, it is asked, “"Where is it?” Those who
advocate the sanctity of the Bhigavata reply: “It was
written in a difficult style, and became obsolete, and
is lost.” “A very unsatisfactory plea”, retort their
opponents; “for we still have the works of Sankara,
several of which are quite as difficult as any in the
Sanskrit language.” The existence of this comment^
too, rests upon the authority of M4dhwa or M6dha-

II

i

The first three of these five verses are quoted, professedly from the iV
roAdrAava, near the beginning of Ghitsukha’s Bhagavata-kathd-sangraha.
h d

PREPACE,

h

va,* who, in a eommentaiy of his own, asserts that he
has consulted eight others. Now, amongst these is
one by the monkey Hanumat; and, although a Hindu
disputant may believe in the reality of such a composi¬
tion, yet -we may receive its citation as a proof that
Madhwa was not very scrupulous in the veiification
of his authorities.

There are other topics urged, in this conti'oversy,
on both sides, some of which are simple enough, some
are ingenious: but the statement of the text is, of itself,
sufficient to show', that, according to the received opinion,
of all the authorities, of the priority of the eighteen
Puranas to the Bh^rata, it is iznpossible that the l^rf
Bhfigavata, which is subsequent to the Bh^-ata, should
be of the number; and the evidence of style, the supe¬
riority of which to that of the PurAhas in general is
admitted by the disputants, is also proof that it is the
work of a different hand. Whether the Devi Bh4ga-
vata have a better title to be considered as an original
composition of Vydsa, is equally questionable; but it
cmmot be doubted that thel^i*l Bhdgavatais the product
of iminspired erudition. There does not seem to be
any other ground than tradition for ascribing it to
Bopadeva the grammarian: but there is no reason to
call the tradition in quesfipiL. Bopadeva flourished at
the court of Hemd dn, Rajja of Devagiri. Deog nr or
Dowlutabad, and must, consequently, have lived prior
to the conquest of that principality by the Moham¬
medans in the fourteenth century. The date of the

p. LM, Vol. I., Preface

PEEFACE.

LI

twelfth century,* commonly assigned to him, is, pro¬
bably, coiTect, and is that of the Bhdgavata PurMa.

6. Ndrada or Ntodfya Pur4ha. “Where Narada has
described the duties which were observed in the Bfihat
Kalpa, that is called the Nilradlya, having twenty-five
thousand stanzas.”^ If the number of vei*ses be here
correctly stated, the Pur4Aa has not fallen into my
hands. The copy I have analysed contains not many
more than three thousand ^lokas. There is another
work, which might be expected to be of greater extent^
the Bfihan Ndradfya or great N^*a^ Purdha; but this,
according to the concurrence of three copies in my
possession, and of five otihers in the .Company’s library,
contains but about’three thousand five hundred verses.
It may be doubted, therefore, if the N^i’ada PurMa of
the Matsya exists.®

According to theMatsya, theIT4rada Puraiia is related

® The description of Vishiu, translated by Colonel Vans
Kennedy (Researclies into the Nature and Affinity of Ancient
and Hindu Mythology, p. 200) from the Ndradiya Purdiia, occurs
in my copy of the Bfihan Naradiya. There is no Narada Purdna
in the East India Company’s library, though, as noticed in the
text, several of the Bfihan NAradiya. There is a copy of the
Rukmdngada Chariira, said to be a part of the Sri Narada Purina,

* Burnouf— BMgavatorpurdi^a, Yol. I., Preface, p. LXIIL, first note,
and pp. XOVII. et sey.—would place Bopadeva in the second half of the
thirteenth century.

I follow the western and southern pandits in preferring Bopadeva to
Vopadeva, as the naxne is ordinarily exhibited.

Touching Bopadeva and Hemidri, see Dr. Aufrecht’s (Jatalog, Cod*
Manuscript, &c., pp. 37 and 88.

d*

PBBFACE,

m

by NArada, and gives an account of the Bfiliat Kalpa.
The N^’adfya PurAiia is coinninnicated, by Narada^ to
the i^ishis at Naimish^i’aiiya, on the Uoiuatf river. The
Bfihan Naradlya is related to the same persons, at the
same place, by Sdta, as it was told by Ndrada to Hauat-
kuinAra. Possibly, the term B/'ihat may have been sug¬
gested by the specification which is given in the Matsya:
but there is no description, in it., of any paificiilar Kalpa
or day of Brahm4.

From a cursoiy examination of these Piu’siiias it is
very evident that they have no conformity to the deiini-
tion of aPurMa, and that both ai‘e sectarial and modern
compilations, intended to support the doctrine, of Bhakti
or faith in Vishfiu. With tins view, they have colIe<*.led
a variety of prayers addi-essed to one or other form of
that divinity; a number of obseiTances and holydays
connected with his adoration; and different legends,
some, perhaps, of an early, others of a more re(‘ent,
date, illustrative of the efficacy of devotion to Hari.
Thus, in the N&rada, we have the stories of J>hruva
andPrahldda; the latter told in the words of tht< Vislu'ui:
whilst the second portion of it is occupie<l with a Icigeml
ofMohinl, the wffi-born daughter of a king called Ruk-
mdngada; beguiled by whom, the king offers to pedbrm
for her whatever she may desire. She calls upon him
either to violate the rule of fasting on the eleventh day
of the fortnight, a day sacred to Vishfiu, or to put his
son to deaffi; and he kUls his son, as the lesser sin of
the two. Tins shows the spirit of the work. Its date
m&y also be mfen-ed from its tenor; as such monstrous
extravagancies in praise of Bhakti are, ccitainly, of mo-
dem ongm. One hmit it furnishes, itself; for it refew

PREFACE.

LOT

to Suka and Parikshit, the interlocutors of the BhAga-
vata; and it is, consequently, subsequent to the date
of that Pur^ha. It is, probably, considerably later; for
it affords evidence that it was written after India was
in the hands of the Mohammedans. In the concluding
passage it is said: “Let not this Pur4da be repeated in
the presence of the ‘killers of cows’ and contemners
of the gods.” It is, possibly, a compilation of the six¬
teenth or seventeenth century.

The Bfihan N4radfya is a work of the same tenor
and time. It contains little else than panegyrical prayers
addressed toVishhu, and injunctions to observe various
rites, and keep holy certain seasons, in honour of him.
The earlier legends introduced are the birth of Mir-
kaddeya, the destruction of Sagai'a’s sons, and the dwarf
Avatdra; but they are subservient to the design of the
whole, and are rendered occasions for praising N4-
rdyada. Others, illustrating the efficacy of certain
Vaishdava observances, are puerile inventions, wholly
foreign to the more ancient system of Paurddik fiction.
There is no attempt at cosmogony, or patriarchal or
regal genealogy. It is possible that these topics may
be treated of in the missing stanzas: but it seems more
likely that the Ndi’ada Purdda of the lists has little in
common with the works to which its name is applied
in Bengal and Hindusthan.

7. Mdrkadda or Mdrkaddeya Purdda. “ That Purdda**
in which, commencing with the story of the birds that
were acquainted with right and wrong, everything is
narrated fully by Mdrkaddeya, as it was explained by
holy sages, in reply to the question of the Muni, is
called the Mdrkaddeya, containing nine thousand ver-

PREFACE.

UV

ses.”‘ This is so called from its being, in the fii*st in¬
stance, nan’ated by M^rkaAdeyaMuni, and, in the second
place, by certain fabulous birds; thus far agreeing with
the account given of it in the Matsya. That, as well
as other authorities, specify its containing nine thousand
stanzas; but my copy closes with a verse affiming that
the number of verses recited by the Muni was six thou¬
sand nine hundred; and a copy in the East India Com¬
pany’s library has a similar specification. The termi¬
nation is, however, somewhat abrupt; and there is no
reason why the subject with which it ends should not
have been carried on further. One copy in the Com¬
pany’s libraiy, indeed, belonging to the Gruicowai'‘'s
collection, states, at the close, that it is the end of the
first Khafida or section. If the Purdiia was ever com¬
pleted, the remaining portion of it appears to be lost.*
Jaimini, the pupil of Vydsa, applies to M4rkafidoya
to be made acquainted with the nature of Vdsudeva,
and for an e3q)lanation of some of the incidents de¬
scribed in the Mali4bh4rata; with the ambrosia of which
divine poem, Vydsa, he declares, has watered tlie whole
world: a reference which establishes the priority of the
Bh^xata to the M4rkafideya Pur4fia, however incom-

grrof iit

* See the Rev. Eiishnamohan Baneijea's edition of the MMiaA&ejjOr
ipvardi^ Introduction, pp. 26, 31, and 32.

t Two MSS. of the Mat&yorfwrMa, out of four within my reach, omit
the second and third lines. The other two give the second as follows;

PREFACE.

LV

patible this may be with the tradition, that, having
finished the Purdhas, Vydsa wi*ote the poem.*
Mdrkafideya excuses himself, saying hehasareligious
I'ite to perform; and he I’efers Jaimini to some very
sapient birds who I’eside in the Vindhya mountains;
birds of a celestial origin, found, when just bom, by
the Muni Samlka, on the field of Kurukshetra, and
brought up, by him, along with his scholars: in conse¬
quence of which, and by virtue oftheir heavenly descent,
they became profoundly versed in the Vedas and a
knowledge of spiritual truth. This machinery is bor¬
rowed from theMahdbhdrata, with some embellishment.
Jaimini, accordingly, has recourse to the birds, Pingdk-
sha and his brethren, and puts to them the questions
he had asked of the Muni: “Why was Vdsudeva born
as a mortal? How was it that Draupadf was the wife
of the five Pdfidus? Why did Baladeva do penance
for Brahmanioide? And whv were the children of
Draupadf destroyed, when they had Kjfishfia and Ar-
juna to defend them?” The answers to these inquiines
occupy a number of chapters, and form a sort of supple-

* In his account of the MdrkaMeyorpurd/ia^ Professor Baneijea says;
“We cannot help noticing, in this place, the dignity imputed to the
work under review. It is classed in the same category with the Vedas,
and described as an immediate product from Brahmd's mouth. Although
a Purana, it is not attributed to Vydsa, whom other Sdstras consider as
the author of all works bearing that title. The MarkaAdeya, however,
does not acknowledge him as its composer, editor, or compiler. It claims
equal honour, in this respect, with the Vedas themselves.”

Again,with reference to the list spoken of in pp. XXIII. and XLV., supra:
“As far as we have seen Bengal Manuscripts, the Mukaiideya presents a
singular exception to this hackneyed enumeration of the eighteen Puranas,
and the celebration of Vyasa’s name as the author of them all. The
Maithila manuscripts, as they are commonly called, are not so chaste”
Jbid,, Preface, pp. 15 and 16.

PBEFACB.

fVI

ment to the Mahdhhai-ata; supplying, partly by inven¬
tion, perhaps, and partly by reference to equally ancient
authorities, the blanks left in some of its narrations.

Legends of Vfitr4sura’s death, BaJadeva’s penance,
Haritohandra’s elevation to heaven, and the quarrel
between Vasishtha and Vi4w4mitra, are followed by a
discussion respecting birth, death, and sin; which leads
to a more extended description of the different hells
than is found in other Pur4has. The account of creation
which is contained in this work is repeated, by the
birds, after M4rkaifi&eya’s account of it to Kraushtuki,
and is confined to the origin of the Vedas and patri¬
archal families, amongst whom are new characters, as
Duhsaha and his wife M4rshti, and their descendants;
allegorical personages, representing intolerable iniquity
and its consequences. There is then a description of
the world, with, as usual to this PurAfia, several singu¬
larities, some of which are noticed in the following
pages. This being the state of the world in the Sw4-
yambhuva Manwantara, an account of the other Man-
wantaras succeeds, in which the births of the Manus,
and a number of other particulars, are peculiar to this
work. The present or Vaivaswata Manwantara is very
briefly passed over; but the next, the first of the future
Manwantaras, contains the long episodical narrative of
the actions of the goddess Durg4, whidi is the especial
boast of this Purttfia, and is the text-book of the wor¬
shippers of K41f, Ohafifil, or Durg4, in Bengal. It is
the OhafiSf Pdfha, or Durg4 M4h4tmya, in which the
victories of the goddess over different evil beings or
Asuras are detailed with considerable power and spirit.
It is read daily in the temples of I}urg4, and furnishes

PREFACE.

livn

the pomp and circumstance of the great festival of Ben¬
gal, the Durg&piij4, or public worship of that goddess. ‘

After the account of the Manwantaras is completed,
there follows a series of legends, some new, some old,
relating to the Sun and his posterity; continued to Vai-
vaswata Mann and his sons, and their immediate des¬
cendants; terminating with Dama, the son ofNarish-
yanta.® Of most of the persons noticed the work nai'-
rates particulars not found elsewhere.

This Pur4ha has a character different from that of
all the others. It has nothing of a sectarial spirit, little
of a religious tone; iwely inserting prayers and invo¬
cations to any deity; and such as are inserted are brief
and moderate. It deals little in precepts, ceremonial
or moral. Its leading feature is narrative; and it pre¬
sents an uninterrupted succession of legends, most of
which, when ancient, are embdlished with new circum¬
stances, and, when new, partake so far of the spirit of
the old, that they are disinterested creations of the
imagination, having no particular motive, being de¬
signed to recommend no special doctrine or obseiv
vance. Whether they are derived from any other source,
or whether they are original inventions, it is not pos¬
sible to ascertain. They are, most probably, for the
greater part, at least, original; and the whole has been
narrated in the compiler’s own manner; a manner
superior to that of the Purdhas in general, with ex¬
ception of the Bhdgavata.

‘ A translation into English, by a Madras Pandit, Kdvali Yen^
kata R^masw^min, was published at Calcutta, in 1828 .

® See Vishnu Purina, Book TV., Chapter I,

Lvin

PREFACE.

It is not easy to conjecture a date for this Pur46a.
It is subsequent to the Mahdbhirata; but how long
subsequent, is doubtful. It is, unquestionably, more
ancient than such works as the Brahma, Padma, and
NaradfyaPur^has; and its fi’eedom from sectarial bias
is a reason for supposing it anterior to the Bhagavata.
At the same time, its partial conformity to the defini¬
tion of a Pnr^fia, and the tenor of the additions which
it has made to received legends and traditions, indicate
a not very remote age; an^ in the absence of any guide
to a more positive conclusion, it may, conjecturally,
be placed in the ninth or tenth century.

^ 8. Agni Purdfia. “That Purdfia which describes the
occurrences of the tsdnaKal^a, and was related by Agni
to Vasishtha, is called the Agpeya. It consists of six¬
teen thousand stanzas.”' The Agni or Agneya Purdha
derives its name from its having being communicated,
originally, by Agni, the deity of fire, to the Muni Va^
sishiha, for the purpose of instructing him in the two¬
fold knowledge of Brahma.® By him it was taught to
Vydsa, who imparted it to Siita; and the latter is re¬
presented as repeating it to the l&ishis at Naimishd-
radya. Its contents are vaiiously specified as sixteen
thousand, fifteen thousand, or fourteen thousand, stanzas.
The two copies which were employed by me contain
about fifteen thousand dlokas. There are two, in the

' Book 71 ., CShapter V.

PREFACE.

LIE

Company's libiwy, which do not extend beyond twcdve
thousand verses; but they are, in many other respects,
ditferent fi’om mine. One of them was written at Aj^ra,
in the reign of Akbar, in A. D. 1589.

The Agni Purtiiia, in the fom in which it has been
obtained in Bengal and at Benares, presents a striking
contrast to the Mdrkaiideya. It may be doubted if a
single line of it is oinginal. A very great proportion
of it may be traced to other sources; anfl a more care¬
ful collation—^if the task was worth the time it would
require—^w'ould probably discover the remainder.

The eai'ly chapters of this Puriha' describe the
Avat^ras, and, in those of Rama and KiHshiia. avowedly
follow theRdmdyaha andMah&bhirata. A considerable,
portion is then appropriated to instructions for the per-
fonnance of religious ceremonies; many ofwhich belong
to the TAnti’ika ritual, and are, apparently, tofanscribed
from the piincipal authorities of that system. Some
belong to mystical foi*ms of l^aiva worship, little known
in Hindnsthan. though, perhaps, still practised in the
south. One of these is the Dfkshsi or initiation of a
novice; bv which, with numerous cereinonie.s and in-
vocations, in which the mysterious monosyllables of
the Tantras are constantly repeated, the disciple is
transformed into a living personation of SJiva, and re¬
ceives, in that capacity, the homage of his Guni. Inter-

’ Analysis of the Agni Pnrdna: Journal of the Asiatic Society
of Bengal, March, 1832.* I have there stated, incorrectly, that
the Agni is a Vaislinava Purana. It is one of the Ttunasa or
Saiva class, as mentioned above.

* See Professor Wilson’s collected works, Vol. III.

LX

PREFACE.

spersed with these are chapters descriptive of the earth
and of the universe, which are the same as those of
the Vishdu Pimdilia; and Mahdtmyas or legends of holy
places, particularly of Grayd. Chapters on the duties
of kings and on the art of wai* then occur, which have
the appearance of being extracted from some older
work, as is, undoubtedly, the chapter on judicature,*
which follows them, and which is the same as the text
of the Mitdkshard. Subsequent to these we have an
account of the distiibution and arrangement of the
Vedas and Purdhas, which is little else than an abridg¬
ment of the Vishdu; and, in a chapter on gifts, we have
a description of the Purddas, which is precisely the
same, and in the same situation, as the similar subject
in the Matsya Purdda. The genealogical chapters are
meagre lists, differing, in a few respects, from those
commonly received, as hereafter noticed, but unaccom¬
panied by any particulars such as those recorded or
invented in the Mdrkaddeya. The next subject is medi¬
cine, compiled, avowedly, but injudiciously, from the
Saufruta A series of chapters on the mystic worshb
of Siva and Devi follows; and the work winds up with
treatises on rhetoric, prosody, and grammar, according
''to the Sdtras of Pingala and Pddini.

^ The cydopsB^cal character of the Agui Pm-dda, as
It IS now described, excludes it from any legitimate
claims to be regarded as a Purdda^ and proves that its

r \ "i^idhinain,

aw p«s*e fe<Sin “rh snpeistMones adhibenda.

PREFACE.

LXI

origin camiot be very remote. It is subsequent to tbe
Itihdsas, to the chief works on grammar, I'hetoric, and
medicine, and to the introduction of the T4ntrika
worship of Devf. When this latter took place, is yet
far from determined; but there is every probability
that it dates long after the beginning of our ei*a. The
materials of the Agni Pur4da ai’e, however, no doubt,
of some antiquity. The medicine of Sufruta is con-
siderobly older than the ninth century; and the gram¬
mar of P&hini probably precedes Olu'istianity. The
chapters on archery and arms, and on regal adnunis-
tmtion, ai’e also distinguished by an entfrely Hindu
character, and must have been written long anterior
to the Mohammedan invasion. So far the Agni Pur Aha
is valuable, as embodymg and preserving relics of
antiquity, although compiled at a more I’ecent date.

Colonel Wilford* has made great use of a list of
kings dei'ived from an appendix to the Agni Pur66a,
which professes to be the sixty-third or last section.
As he observes, it is seldom found annexed to the
Puriha. I have never met with it, and doubt its ever
having formed any part of the original compilation.
It would appear, from Colonel Wilford’s remarks, that
this list notices Mohammed as the institutor of an era:
but his account of this is not very distinct. He men¬
tions, explicitly, however, that the list speaks of Sili-
vdhana and Viram4ditya: and this is quite sufficient
to establish its character. The compilei*s of thePurdhas
were not such bunglers as to bring within their chro-

‘ Essay on YikrsmAditya and ^dliv&haua: As. Res., Vol. IX.,
p. 131.

tXII

PEEFACB.

nology so well known a personage as Vikraiiidditya.
There are, in all parts of India, yarious compilations
ascribed to the Pur4fias, which never formed any poi'-
tion of their contents, and which, although offering,
sometimes, useful local infoiination, and valuable as
preserving popular ti-aditions, are not, in justice, to be
confounded with the Purdhas, so as to cause them to
be charged with even more sei’ious eiTors and ana¬
chronisms than those of which they ai’e guilty.

The two copies of this work in the library of the
East India Company appropriate the first half to a
description of the ordinary and occasional observances
of the Hindus, interepersed with a few legends. The
latter half treats exclusively of the history of Rdma.
»^_9. BhavishyaPurdha. “TliePurMa in whichBi*ahm4,
having described the greatness of the sun, explained to
Manu the existence of the world, and the characters
of all created things, in |^e course of the Aghoi'aKalpa,
that is called the Bhavishya; the stories being, for the
most part, the events of a'luture period. It contains
fourteen thousand five hundred stanzas.” ‘ ThisPur^fia,
as tihe name implies, should be a book of prophecies,
foretelling what will be (bhavishyati), as the Matsya
Pimafia intimates. Whether such a work exists, is
doubtful. The copies, which a]|pear to be entire, and
of which there ai-e three in fie library of the East
India Company, agreeing, in their contents, with two

^ ii

PEEPACE.

Lxni

in my possession, contain about seven thousand stan¬
zas. There is another work, entitled the Bhavishyot-
tara, as if it was a continuation or supplement of the
former, containing, also, about seven thousand verses:
but the subjects of both these works are but to a veiy
imperfect degree analogous to those to which the Mat-
sya alludes.^

The Bhavishya Pin*4Aa, as I have it, is a work in a
hundred and twenty-six short chapters, repeated by
Sumantu to iSatAnika, a king of the Pahdu family. He
notices, howevei*, its having originated with Swayambhu
or Brahmd, and describes it as consisting of five parts;
four dedicated, it should seem, to as many deities, as
they are termed, Brdhma, Vaishfiava, iSaiva, andTwdsh-
fra; whilst the fifth is the Pi’atisarga or repeated cre¬
ation. Possibly, the first part only may have come
into my hands; although it does not so appear by the
manuscript.

Whatever it may be, the .^^ork in question is not a
Purdfia. The first portion^ indeed, treats of creation;
but it is little else than a transcript of the words of
the first chapter of Manu. The rest is entirely a manual
of religious rites and ceremonies. It explains the ten
Samskdras or initiatory, rites; the performance of the
Sandhyd; the reverence to be shown to a Guru; the
duties of the different Asramas and castes; and enjoins
a number of Vratas or observances of fastmg and the

^ Colonel Vans Kennedy states that he had ^‘not been able
to procure the Bhavishya Pui*ana, nor even to obtain any account
of its contents.” Researches into the Nature and Affinity of
Ancient and Hindu Mythology, p. 153, note.

Lxrv

PBBFACE.

like, appropriate to dilferent lunar days. A few legends
enliven the seiies of precepts. That of the sage Ohya-
vana is told at considerable length, taken, chiefly, from
theMahdbhdrata. TheNdga Panchamf, or fifth lunation
sacred to the serpent-gods, gives rise to a description
of different sorts of snakes. After these, which occupy
about one third of the chapters, the remainder of them
conform, in subject, to one of the topics refen’ed to by
the Matsya. They chiefly represent converaations be-
tweenKfishia, Ins son^dmba,—who had become a leper
by the curse of Durvdsas,—Vasishfha, Fdrada, and
Vydsa, upon the power and glory of the Sun, and the
manner in which he is to be worshipped. There is
some curious matter in the last chapters, relating to
the Magas, silent worshippers of the sun, from l§dka-
dwfpa; as if the compiler had adopted the Pei’sian term
Magh, and connected the fire-worshippers of Iran with
those of India. This is a subject, however, that requires
further investigation.

The Bhavishyottara is, equally with the preceding,
a sort of manual of religious offices; the greater portion
being appropriated to Vratas, and the remainder, to
the forms and drcumstances with which ^fts are to
be presented. Many of the ceremonies are obsolete,
or are observed in a different manner, as the Rathar
y&trd or car-festival, and the Madanotsava or festival
of spring. The descriptions of these throw some light
upon the public condition of the Hindu religion at a
P^od probably prior to the Mohammedan conquest.
The different ceremonies are illustrated by legends,
^ich are, sometimes, andent; as, for instance, the de-
structmn of the god of love by ^iva, and his thence

PREFACE.

LXV

becoming tbe disembodied lord of beai-ta.

The work is supposed to be conmiunicated by Kfishiia
to Yudhishthira, at a great assemblage of holy persons
at the coronation of tlie latter, after the conclusion of
fhe Grreat War.

10. Brahma Vaivarta Pui'aha. “That Puraha which
is related by Savariii to Ndrada, and contains the ac¬
count of die greatness of Krishha, with the occurreueos
of the RathantaraKalpai where, also, die story ofBrahina-
varaha is repeatedly told, is called the BraliniaVaivarta,
and contains eighteen thousand stanzas.”^ The account
here given of the Brahma Vaivarta Purdha agrees with
its present state, as to its extent. The copies rather
exceed than fall short of eighteen thousand stanzas.
It also eorrecdy represents its comprising a Miihatmya
or legend of Kfislnia; but it is veiy doubtful, never¬
theless, if the same .work is intended.

The Brahma Vaivaria, as it now exists, is nan*ated,
not by Sdvarhi, but the Rishi Nardyaila, to Nai*ada, by
whom it is communicated to Vyasa: he teaches it to
Sdta; and the latter repeats it to the Kishis at Nai-
mishdrahya. It is divided into fourKBafidas or books,
the Bi'iihma, Prakriti, Gahesa, and Ehishha Janma
Khajtidas; dedicated, severally,' to describe the acts of
Brahm4, Devi, Gaiiesa, and Kfishha; the latter, how¬
ever, thi’oughout absorbmg the mterest and importance
of the woi’k. In none of these is there any account of

‘ 'BUST’S ’src i

I. e

IXVI

PBEPACK.

the Vaviha Avatdra of Vishfui,—which sceius lo bp
intended by the Mateya,—nor any reference to a Kur
thantara Kalpa. It may also be observed, (hut, in
deseribiug the merit of presenting a eoj»y of (his Pn-
rdiia, the Matsya adds; “Wioever makes such gift is
honoured in the Brahiuarfoka'’;a s[»heri‘ which is of
veiy inferior dignity to that to which a worshijijan’ of
Kfishiia is taught to aspire by this Piiniha. 'I'lie cha¬
racter of the work is, in truth. So decidedly sectarial,
and the sect to which it belongs so dislinctly murlnsl,-
that of the worship])ers of tlio juvenile Krishna and
Kadlui, a form of belief of known modern origin, (hut
it can scarcely have found a notice, in a work to which,
like the Matsya, a much more remote, date s(‘eius to
belong. Although, thcrehu’C, the Matsya may be !■<•-
ccived in proof of there iiuving been a lirahma Vai-
varta PurMa at the date of its comi)ilation, dedi<-a(c(l
especially to the honour of Krishna, yet we cuiinol,
credit tlie possibility of its being the siime W(' now
possess.

Although some of the legends beli(;ved to be {inei<‘ut
are scattered through the difTen'.nt poH-ious of this
Purdiia, yet the great mass of it is taken up with l.ir<‘,-
soine descriptions of VHnddvana and (loloka, (he dwtdl-
ings of Krishha on oai'th and m heavenj with endless
repetitions of prayei*s and invocations uddressi'd to
him; and with insipid descrijitions of his person ami
sports, and the love of the Oopls and of Kiidlni towanls
him. There ai*e some particulars of the origin of (.he

^ II

PKEPACE.

LX VII

ai*tificer castes,—wliich is of value, because it is cited as
authority in matters afiecting them,—contained in the
Br4hma Khaiida; and, in die Prakriti and Gahesa
Khaiidas, are legends of those divinities, not wliolly,
perhaps, modern inventions, but of vdiich the source
has not been traced. In the life of Ejfishiia, the in¬
cidents recorded are the same as those narrated in-the
Vishnu and the Bhagavata; but the stories, absurd as
they are, are much compressed, to make room for ori¬
ginal matter still more puerile and tiresome. The
Brahma Vaivarta has not the slightest title to be re¬
gained as a Pur^iia. ^

11. Linga Puraha. ‘‘Where Maheswara, present iu>
the Agni Linga, explained (the objects of life) virtue,
wealth, pleasure, and final liberation at the end of the
Agni Kalpa,* thatPurAiia, consistuig of eleven thousand
stanzas, was called the Lainga by Brahma hhnself.”®

.The Linga Puraha confonns, accurately enough, to
this desci’iption. The Kalpa is said to be the feana:
but this is the only difterence. It consists of eleven
thousand stanzas. It is said to have been originally
composed by Brahmd; and the primitive Linga is a

^ Analysis of the Brahma Vaivarta Puraiia: Journal of the
Asiatic Society of Bengal, June, 1833. f

grnif i^^pTT ^psfr: i
» » ««***»«

* ? Instead of Professor Wilson’s of the MSS, 1 have

seen has another, and another,

5 while the fourth is here corrupt past mending by conjecture,
t See Professor Wilson’s collected works, Vol. III.

Lxvni

PREFACE.

jtillar of radiance, in %Yhich Maheswava is present. The
work is, tliereforo, the same as that refeiTcd to by the
.Matsya.

A short aectfunt is given, in the beginning, of ele-
immiul and sccomlary creation, and of the pati’iarehal
families; in which, however, Siva takes the place of
N’ihlii’ni, as the indescribable cause of all things. Brief
aecimnis of Siva's incarnations and proceedings in
<IifK‘rent Kaljtas next occur, offering no intorest, except
as characteristic of sectarial notions. The appeai’ance
of the great takes place, in the interval of

a m*ution, to separate Vishiiu and Brahmd, who not
otdy dispute the palm of supremacj^ but fight for it;
when the Linga suddenly springs up, and puts them
both to shame; as, after travelling upwai’ds and down¬
wards for a thousand years in each dmection, neither
can approach to its termination. Upon the Linga the
sacred monosyllable Om is visible; and the Vedas pro-
eecsl from it, by which Brahmii and Vishiiu become
enlightened, and acknowledge and eulogize the superior
might and glory of l^iva.

A notice of the creation in the Padma Kalpa then
follows; and this leads to praises of iSiva by Vishiiu
and Brahnri. Siva repeats the stoiy of his incarna¬
tions, twenty-eight in number; intended as a countei'-
jmrt, no doubt, to the twenty-foiu* Avatdras of Vishiiu,
as described in the Bhdgavata; and both being ampli-
ticatioiis of the original ten Avatiras, and of much less
merit as fictions. Another instance of rivaliy occurs
in the legend of Dadhfchi, a Muni, and worshipper of
Siva. In the Bhagavata, there is a story of Ambarfsha
beiugdefendedagainstDuiw^sasby the discus ofVishftu,

PREPACiK.

TOCIX

against which that ^aiva sage is helpless. Hei*e, Vishiiu
hurls his discus at Dadhichi: but it falls, blunted, to
the ground; and a conflict ensues, in which Vishiiu
and his partisans are all ovex-thrown by the Muni.

A desciiption of the universe, and of the regal dy¬
nasties of the Vaivaswata Manwantai’a to the time of
Kf'ishha, runs through a number of chapters, in sub¬
stance, and, very commonly, in words, the same as in
otherPurahas; after which the woi*k resumes its pi*oper
chai-acter, naiTatmg legends, and enjoining rites, and
reciting* prayers, intending to do honour to ^iva under
vaa-ious forms. Although, however, the Linga holds a
prominent place amongst them, the spirit of thewoi’ship
is as little influenced by the character of the type as
can well be imagined. There is nothing like the phallic
orgies of antiquity: it is all mystical and spiritual. The
Linga is twofold, external and internal. The ignorant,
who need a visible sign, worship ^iva through a ‘mark’
or ‘type’—which is the proper meaning of the word
‘Linga’—of wood, or stone; but the wise look upon
this outward emblem as nothing, and contemplate, in
their minds, the invisible, inscrutable type, which is
l^iva himself. Whatever may have been the origin of
this form of worship in India, the notions upon which
it was founded, according to the impime fancies of
European writers, are not to be ti’aced in even the
Saiva Purdflas.

Data for conjecturing the era of this work are de¬
fective. But it is more a ritual than a Purdha; and the
Paurdflik chapters which it has inserted, in order to
keep up something of its character, have been, evidently,
borrowed for the purpose. The incarnations of Siva,

liSLX

PREFACE.

and their ‘pqjils’, as S[)ecified in one place, and the
importance attached to tiae pi'actice of the Yoga^ render
it possible that, under the former, are intended those
teachers of the 6aiva religion who belong to the Yoga
school,^ which seems to have flouiished about the
eighth or ninth centuries. It is not likely that the woi’k
is earlier: it may be considerably later. It has pre¬
served, apparently, some l^aiva legends of an eaily
date; but the greater part is ritual and mysticism of
comparatively recent inti’oduction.

12. Var4ha PurMa. “That in which the glory of
the great Varaha is predominant^ as it was revealed to
Earth by Vishhu, in connexion, wise Munis, with the
Mdnava Kalpa, and which contains twenty-four thou¬
sand verses, is called the Vdrdha Purdiia.”®

It may be doubted if the Vai’dha Pursiiia of the pre¬
sent day is here intended. It is narrated by Vishnu
as Vardha, or in the boai’ incarnation, to the pci’soniiied
Eaitih. Its extent, however, is not half that specified;
little exoeedmg ten thousand stanzas. It fiu-nishes, also,
itself, evidence of the prior cun’ency of some other
work, similarly denominated; as, in the description of
Mathurd contained in it, Sumantii, a Muni, is made to
observe: “ThedivineVaa’dha in former times expounded
a Pm*d6a» for the purpose of solving the perplexity of
Earth.”

* See Asiatic Eeseaiches, Vol. XVII., p. 187.*

* See Prefessoi Wilson’s collective works, YoTL.Vaor^"’’”

PREFACE.

liXXr

Nor can the Vai*aha Pnraiia lie regarded as a Parana
agreeably to the common definition; as it contains but
a few scattered and brief allusiohs to the creation of
the world and the reign of kings; it has no iletailed
genealogies, either of the patriarchal or regal families,
and no account of the reigns of the Manus. Like the
Linga Purada, it is a religious manual, almost wdiolly
occupied with fonns of prayer and I’ules for devotional
obseiwances, addressed to Vishnu; interspersed with
legendaa-y illusti*ations, most of which ai-e peculiar to
itself, though some are taken from the common and
ancient stock. Many of them, rather incompatibly with
the general scope of the compilation, relate to the
history of ^iva and Durgd.^ A considerable portion
of the work is devoted to descriptions of vai'ious
Tlrthas, places of Vaishfiava pilgrimage; and one of
Mathurd enters into a variety of particulars relating to
the shiTnes of that city, constituting the Mathura Md-
hdtmya.

In the sectarianism of the Vai’dha Purdfia there is
no leaning to the particular adoration of Kfishfia; nor
are the Rathaydtrd and Janmdshtami included amongst
the observances enjoined. There are other indications
of its belonging to an earlier stage of Vaishfiava wor¬
ship; and it may, perhaps, be refen*ed to the age of
Rdmdnuja, the early paili of the twelfth century.

' One of these is translated by Colonel Vans Kennedy, the
origin of the three 6aktis or goddesses, Saraswati, Lakshmi, and
Parvati. Kesearches into the Nature and Affinity of Ancient and
Hindu Mythology, p. 209. The Tri 6akti Mdhitmya occui'S, as
he gives it, in my copy, and is, so far, an indication of the iden¬
tity of the Varaha PurdAa in the different MSS.

liXxn

PBBFACE.

Skanda Purdda.'' “The Skdnda Purada is that in
‘ which the six-faced deity (Skanda) has related the
events of the Tatpurusha Kalpa, enlarged with many
tales, and subservient to the duties taught by Mahe-
iwara. Is is said to contain eighty-one thousand one
hundred stanzas: so it is asserted amongst mankind.”‘
It is uniformly agreed that the Skanda Purdha, in a
collective form, has no existence; and the fragments, in
the shape of Samhitds, KhaAdas, andMdhdtmyas, which
are affrmed, in various parts of India, to be portions
of the Purdfia, present a much more formidable mass
of stanzas than even the immense number of which it
is said to consist. The most celebrated of these portions,
in Hindusthdn, is the Kddf Khaiida, a veiy minute de¬
scription of the temples of Siva in or adjacent to Be¬
nares, mixed with directions for worshipping Mahe-
swara, and a great variety of legends explanatory of
its merits and of ihe holiness of £dsf. Many of them
ai-e puerile and'uni'nteresting; but some ai‘e of a higher
character. The story of Agastya records, probably, in
a.legendaay style, the propagation of Hinduism in the
sooth India; and, in' the history of Divoddsa, king
of we have an embellished tradition of the tem¬
per^, depression of the worship of Siva, even in its
mefropolis, before the ascendancy of the followers of
Buddha.* Thejce is every reason to believe the greater

r ^ niff?! II

’ traaelated ty, Oolond Vans Kfennedy: Ee-

PBEFACB.

Lxxnr

part of the conteftts of the Kdsf Khahaa anterior to
the first attack upon Benares by Mahmud of Ghizni.
TheKd^lKhafida alone contains fifteen thousand stanzas.

Another considerable work ascribed, in Upper India^
to the’ Skanda Purdfia, is the Ulkala Khafida, giving
an account of the holiness of Orissa, and the Kshetra
of Purushottama or Jaganndtha. The same vicinage
is the site of temples, once of great magnificence and
extent, dedicated to iSiva, as Bhuvane^wara, which
forms an excuse for attaching an account of a Vaish-
Aava Tfrtha to an eminently SaivaPur&fia.' There can
be little, doubt, however, that the Utkala Khafida is
unwarrantably included amongst the progeny of the
parent work. Besides these, there is a Brahmottara
Khafida, a Eev4 Khafida, a l^iva Rahasya BIhafida, a
Himavat Ehafida, and oth^s. Of the Samhit^s the
chief are the’ Sfita Bamhiti^ Sahatkum^ra SazfihiU,
Saura Samhitd, and Eapila Sainhiti: there are several
other works denominated Samhit4s. The M4hAtmyas
are more numerous still. ^ According to the Sfita Sam-
hiM, as quoted by Colonel Vans Kennedy,® the Skanda

searches into the Nature and Affinity of Ancient and Hindu My¬
thology, Appendix B.

^ In a list of reputed portions of the Skanda Purana in the
possession of my friend, Mr, 0. P. Brown, of the Civil Service of
Madras,'the Sad^tds are seven, the Khandas, twelve, besides
parts denominated Gitii, Eialpa, Stotra, &c. In the collection of
Colonel. Mackewie, amongst the Mihitmyas, thirty-six are said
to belong to the Skanda Purina. Vol L, p. 61. In the library
at the India House are two Samhitis, the Sdta and Sanatkuxnara,
fonrteen Khaidas, and twelve Mihitmyas. ,

® Eesearches into the Nature and Affinity of Ancient and
Hindu Mythology, p. 164, note.

LXXIV

PBEFACE.

Piii’iu'ia ctditains six Sanihit^s, five hundred Khandas,
and five hundred thousand stanzas; moi’e than is even
atti'ihutod to all the Piminas. He thinks, judging from
internal evidence, that all the Khandas and Saruhitas
may he admitted to be genuine, though the Mdhatmyas
have rather a questionable appearance. Now, one kind
of internal evidence is tl\e quantity; and, as no more
than eighty-one thousand one hundred stanzas have ever
been claimed for it,* all in excess above that amount
must he questionable. But many oftheKhaiidas,theK4si
Khaiida, for instance, are quite as local as the MdhAt-
mysis; being legendary stories relating to the erection
and tanctity of certain temples, or groups of temples,
and to certain Lingas; the interested origin of which
renders them, very reasonably, objects of suspicion.
In the present state of our acquaintance with the re¬
puted 2>ortions of tlie Skanda Piu'afia, my own views of
their authenticity ar-e so opposed to those enteiiained by
Colonel VansKennedy, that, instead of admitting all the
Samhitds and Khaiidas to be genuine, I doubt if any
one of them was ever a part of the Skanda Pur4fia.
'' 14 . Viimana Purina. “That in which the four-faced
Bralnnd taught the three objects of existence, as sub-
senient to the account of the greatness of Trivikrama,
which ti*eats, also, of the ^ivaKalpa^and which consists
of ten thousand stanzas, is called the Vdmana PurMa.” ^

• Btti BM tte end of my tMrd note in p, XXIV., ewjro.
t Profeisor Wiieon here omitted a word of two syUables— .probably,

PREFACE.

LXXV

The Vdmana Piu’iha contains an account of the
dwarf incarnation of Vishiiu: but it is related by Pular
stya to N^'ada, and extends to but about seven thou¬
sand stanzas. ' Its contents scai’oely establish its nlaim
to the character of a Purdha.^

There is little or no order in the subjects which this
work recapitulates, and which arise out of replies made
by Pulastya to questions put, abruptly and unconneo-
tedly, by NArada. The greater part of them x*elate to
the worship of the Linga; a rather sti’ange topic for a
Vaishhava Pm.’4ha, but engrossing the principal part,
of the compilation. They are, however, subservient
to the object of Ulusti'ating the sanctity of certain holy
places; so that the VAmana Pm’4ha is little else than
a succession of M4h4tmyas. Thus, in the opening,
almost, of the work occurs the story ofDaksha’s sacri¬
fice, the object of which is to send l^iva to P4pamo-
chana Tfrtha, at Benares, where he is released from
the sin of Brahmanicide. Next comes the story of the
burning of K4madeva, for the purpose of illustrating
the holiness of a iSiva-linga at Ked4i*e4wara in the
Himalaya, and of BadarikA^rama. The larger part of
the work consists of the Saro-m4h4tmy% or legendary
exemplifications of the holiness of SthMu Tfrtha; that

^ From the extracts from the V^ana Pursliia translated by
Colonel Vans Kennedy, pp. 29S, et seq., it appears that his copy
so far corresponds with mine; and the work is, therefore, pro¬
bably, the same. Two copies in the Company’s library also agree
with mine.

wnf. Instead of tMs, one of the four MSS. of the MatsyorpurdAa in
the India Office Library has and two have

LXXVI

PBEFAOE.

is, of the sanctity of various Lingas and certain pools
at Thauesar and Kurukhet, the country north-west
from Delhi. There aa'e some stories, also, relating to
the holiness of the Goddvai'l river: but the general
site of the legends is in Hindusthdn. In the course of
those accounts, we have a long nairative of the mar¬
riage of l^iva with Umd, and the birth of Kdrttikeya.
There are a few brief allusions to creation and the
Manwantaras; but they ai‘e merely incidental: and all
the five chai’acteristics of a PurMa are deficient. In
noticing the Swarochisha Manwantara, towards the
eud of the book, tlie elevation of Bali as monarch of
the Daityas, and his subjugation of the universe, the
gods included, are described; and this leads to the
naiTation that gives its title to the PurMa, the birth
of Kfishiia as a dwarf, for the purpose of humiliatmg
Bidi by fi-aud, as he was invincible by force. The stoiy
is told as usual; but the scene is laid at Kurukshetra.

A more minute exammation of this work than that
which has been given to it, might, perhaps, discover
some hint from which to conjecture its date. It is of
a more tolerant chai*acter than thePurafras, and divides
its homage between l^iva and Vishfiu with tolerable
impartiality. It is not connected, therefore, with any
sectaz-ial pxnnciples, and may have preceded their in¬
troduction. It has not, however, the air of any anti-
q^uity; and its compilation may have amused the leisure
of some Brahman of Benares three or four centuries ago.

15. Eurma Puraua. “That in which Jandrdana, in
the form of a tortoise, in the regions under the earth,
explained the objects of life—duly, wealth, pleasui’e,
and liberation in communication with Indradyumna

PREFACE.

Lxxvn

and the !l^ishis in the proximity of ^akra, which rcfei’s
to theLakshmi Kalpa, and contains seventeen thousand
stanzas, is the Kdnna Puraiia.”^

In the first chapter of the Kiirma Puruiia, it gives
an account of itself which does not exactly agree with
this description. Siita, who is repeating the naiTatiou,
is made to sav to the foshis: “This most excellent

4 »

Kaurma Purana is the fifteenth. Sau'ihitas are fourfold,
from the vai'iety of the collections. The Bi*ahun', Bha-
gavati, Saurf, and Vaishhavl are well known as the
four San'ihitus which confer virtue, wealth, pleasure,
and liberation. This istheBrdhmfSaitihita, confonnable
to the four Vedas; in which there aa*e six thousand
slokas; and, by it, the importance of the four objects of
life, 0 gi’eat sages, holy knowledge and Pai’ameswaiu
is known.”" Thei'e is an iiTeconcilable dilfei’eucc in
this specification of the number of stanzas and that

■ ^ ’gf I

it

^ v^TW»nwt ^ i

*n>ti(W'RPf gt w irn# ^r>w^:ii

So read the best MSS, of the Kiirma-purdna that are at present ac¬

cessible to me.

t One of the four L 0. L. MSS. of the Matsya-purdfm has : |

LXXYin

PEEFACE.

given above. It is not veiy dear what is meant by a
SaihliitS, as here used. A Samhitd, as obseiwed above
(p.XIX.), is somethmg different from a Purdiia. It may
be an assemblage of prayers and legends, extracted
professedly, from aPiu’iha, but is not, usually, appli¬
cable to the original. The fom* SamhitAs here specified
refer rather to tlieu* religious ehai’acter than to their
connexion with any specific work; and, in fact, tlie
same terms are applied to what are called Saihhitds
of the Skanda. In this sense, a Puraiia might be also
aSanfiiitii; that is, it might be an assemblage of fonnulee
and legends belonging to a division of the Hindu sys¬
tem; and the work in question, like the Vishfiu PunUia,
does adopt both titles. It says: “This is the excellent
Kaunna Purdiia, the fifteenth (of the series).” And
again: “This is the BrAhmf Samhiti.” At any rate, no
other work has been met with pi’etending to be the
Kiii’ma PurMa.

With regal'd to the other pai’ticulars specified by
the Matsya, traces of them are to be found. Although,
in two accounts of the fraditional communication of
ffie Purdfia, no mention is made of Vishiiu as one of
the teachers, yet Sfita repeats, at the outset, a dialogue
between Vishfiu, as the Ktirma, and Indi'adyumna, at
the time of the churning of the ocean; and much of
the subsequent narrative is put into the mouth of the
formei*.

The name, being that of an Avatdra of Vishfiu, might
lead us to expect a Vaishfiava work: but it is always,
And coiTectly, classed with the l^aiva Purdiias; the
greater poition of it inculcating the worehip of i^iva
and Durg4. It is divided into two parts, of nearly

PEBFAC®.

LXXIX

equal length. In the first paii;, accounts of tlie crea¬
tion, of the Avatai’as of Vishfiu, of the solar and
lunar dynasties of the kings to the time of Kfishiia,
of tlae universe, and of the Manwautaras, ai‘e given,
in general in a summaiy manner, but, not unfrequeutly,
in the woi'ds employed in the Vishtiu Puraiia. With
these are blended hymns addressed to Maheswara by
Brahmd and others; the defeat of Andhaktisura by
Bhairava; the origin of four l^aktis, Maheswaif, ^iva,
Satl, andHaimavatl, from Siva; and other Saiva legends.
One chapter gives a more distinct and connected ac¬
count of the incarnations of Siva, in the present age,
than tlie Linga; and it wears, stiU more, the appearance
of an attempt to identify the teachers of the Yoga
school with personations of their preferential deity.
Several chapters form a Kasi Mahsitmya, a legend of
Benares. In the second part there are no legends. It
is divided into two paits, the Iswara and Vy^a
Git A In the former, the knowledge of god, that is, of
Siva, through contemplative devotion, is taught. In
the latter, the same object is enjoined tlmough works,
or observance of the ceremonies and precepts of the
Vedas.

The date of the Kiirma Pui*aiia cannot be veiy re¬
mote; for it is, avowedly, posterior to the establishment
of the Tdntrika the l^akta, and the Jaina sects. In the
twelfth chapter it is said: “The Bhairava, Vdma, Arhata,

^ This is also translated by Colonel Vans Kennedy (Researches
into the Nature and Affinity of Ancient and Hindu Mythology,
Appendix D., p. 444); and, in this instance, as in other passages
quoted by him from the Kiirma, his MS. and mine agree.

LXXX

PEBPACE.

and Yamala ^dstras are intended for delusion.” There
is no reason to believe tliat the Bhairava and Ydmala
Tantras ai*e very ancient -works, or that the practices
of the left-hand Sdktas, or the doctrines of Arhat or
Jina, were blown in the early centuries of our era.

'^16. Matsya Pnriuia. “That in which, for the sake
of promulgating the Vedas, Vishiiu, in the beginning
of a Kalpa, related to Manu the story of Narasihiha
and the events of seven Kalpas; that, 0 sages, know
to be the Matsya Purdi'ia, containing twenty thousand
stanzas.”'

We in^ht, it is to be supposed, admit the description
which the Matsya gives of itself to be coirect; and yet,
as regai’ds the number of verses, there seems to be a
misstatement. Three veiy good copies—one in my
possession, one in the Company’s libraiy, and one in
the Raddiffe library—concur in all respects, and in
containing no more than between fomiieen and fifteen
thousand stanzas. In this case the Bhdgavata is neai*er
the truth, when it assigns to it fourteen thousand. We
may conclude, therefore, that the reading of the passage
is, in this respect, erroneous.* It is correctly said, that

1

* Two out of tile four L 0. L. JISS. of the Matsyarpvrdna —see the
last line of the Sanskrit quoted in this page—give
“fourteen thousand*^; and the others exhibit evident corruptions of the
same reading. That this reading is to be preferred, we have, besides
the evidence, adduced by Professor Wilson, of the Bhdgavata-yuTmta,
that of the DevirbMga/oata and Bevd-mdMtinya,

PREPACB.

LXXXI

the subjects of the Purdha wei’e communicated by
Vishhu, in the form of a fish, to Manu.

The Purdiia, after the usual prologue of Sfita and
the Kishis, opens with the account of the Matsya or
‘fish’ Avatdi'a of Vishfiu, in which he preserves a hing,
named Manu, with the seeds of all things, in an aai,
from the waters of that inundation which, in the season
of a Pralaya, overspreads the woidd. This stoiy is told
in the Mahdbhdi*ata, with reference to the Matsya as
its authority; from which it might be inferred, that the
Purdda was prior to the poem. This, of course, is con¬
sistent with the tradition that the Purddas were first
composed by Vydsa. But there can be no doubt that
the gi'eater part of the Mahdbhdi’ata is much older than
any extant Purdiia. The present instance is, itself, a
proof; for the pi’imitive simplicity with which the story
of the fish Avatdra is told in the Mahdbhdrata, is of a
much more antique complexion than the mysticism and
extravagance of theactualMatsyaPurdda. Intheformer,
Manu collects the seeds of existmg things in the ark; it
is not said how; in the latter, he brings them all together
by the power of Yoga. In the latter, the great serpents
come to the kmg, to serve as cords wherewith to fasten
the ark to thehom of the fish; in thefonner, a cable made
of ropes is more intelligibly employed for the purpose.

WhUst tbe ark floats, fastened to the fishj Manu
enters into conversation with him; and his questions
and the replies of Vishdu form the maia substance of
the compilation. The first subject is the creation, which
is that of Brahmd and the patriarchs. Some of the
details are the usual ones; other’s are peculiar', especially
those relating to the Pitfis or progenitors. The regal
I. i

Lxxxn

PKEFACE.

dynasties ai'e next described; and then follow chapters
on the duties of different orders. It is in relating those
of the householder, in which the duty of making gifts
to Bralimaus is comprehended, that we have the spe¬
cification of the extent and subjects of the Piu*4iias.
It is meritorious to have copies made of them, and to
give these away on particular occasions. Thus, it is
said, of the Matsya: “Whoever gives it away at either
equinox, along with a golden fish and a milch cow,
gives away the whole eai'th;”* that is, he reaps a like
rewai'd, in his next migi’ation. Special duties of the
householdex'—^Vratas or occasional acts of piety—ai‘e
then described at considerable length, with legendary
illustrations. The account of the imiveree is given in
the usual strain. Saiva legends ensue: as the destruc¬
tion of Tripurisura; the war of the gods with Tax-aka
and the Daityas, and the consequent birth of Kdrtti-
keya, with the various circumstances of Umd’s birth
and xnarriage, the biuming of Kdmadeva, and other
events involved in that naxTative; the destruction of
the Asuras Maya and Andhaka; the origin of the Mdtiis,
and the like; interspersed with the VaishAava legends
of the Avatdras. Some Mdhdtmyas are also introduced;
one of which, the Narmada M^Atmya, contains some
intex-estiug particulars. Thex’e are various chaptex's on
law and moiaJs, and one which furnishes directions
for building houses and making images. We then have
an accouixt of the kings of future periods; and the
PurMa concludes with a chapter on gifts.

PREFACE.

Lxxxin

The Matsya PnrMa, it will be seen, even from this
brief sketch of its contents, is a miscellaneous compi¬
lation, but including, in its contents, the elements of a
genuine Pui’ana. At the same time, it is of too mixed
a character to be considered as a genuine work of the
Pauranik class; and, upon examining it carefully, it
may be suspected that it is indebted to vai-ious works,
not only for its matter, but for its words. The genea¬
logical and histoi-ical chaptei’s are much the same as
those of the Vislniu; and many chapters, as those on
the Pitfis and ^I'Mdlias, are precisely the same as those
of theSfishiiKhahda ofthePadmaPuraha. It has dx*awn
largely also from the Mahdbhdrata. Amongst other
instances, it is sufficient to quote the story of Sdvitrf,
the devoted wife of Satyavat, which is given in the
Matsya in the same manner, but considerably abridged.

Although a ^aiva woz*k, it is not exclusively so; and
it has not such sectarial absui*dities as the Kzinna and
Linga. It is a composition of considerable interest;
but, if it has extracted its mateiials fi*om the Padma,—
which it also quotes on one occasion, the specification
of the Upapux’diias,—^it is subsequent to that woi’k, and,
therefore, not very ancient.

^7. G-ai'uda Purdiia. “That which Vishfiu recited
in the G-aruda Kalpa, relating, chiefly, to the birth of
Garada from Vinatd, is here called the G4rudaPur4fia;
and in it there are read nineteen thousand verses.”^

44 ^ 1^31 %% I

* seems to be tbe more ordinary reading.

f*

LXXXIV

PBEFACB.

The Garnfla ParMa which has been the subject of
luy exauiination corresponds in no respect with this
description, and is, probably, a different work, though
entitled tlie Garuda Pnraiia. It is identical, however,
with two copies in the Company’s libraiy. It consists
of no more than about seven thousand stanzas; it is
repeated by BrahniA to Indra; and it contains no ac¬
count of the birth of Garuda. There is a brief notice
of the creation; but the greater part is occupied wdth

the deseviptinn of Vrataa oTUfth'fnnns n bseiwan ceSj of
^holydays , of sacred places dedicated to the sun, and
with nr syers Siom the T antnXa ri tual, addre ssed to
thtTsun^ to Siva, and to V ishiiu. it contains , also, trea-
tise s on i^trology, patmistiy, aiid precious sto nes, and
one, still m ore extensive, on modicine. The l atter por-
t ion. called the Preta Kalpa. is tak m up mth directions
fo rtheperfomans eof nbacgnial ritft q. There is^p hing.
in all this, to justify t he applica tion of the nam e. Whe-
“TTer a geftUlft e GFarugaPurMa existe ia donWii l. The
description given m^e Matsya is less particular than
even the brief notices of the other Purdhas, and might
have easily been written without any knowledge of
the book itself; being, with exception of the number of
stanzas, confined to circumstances that the title alone

indicates.

^18. Brahmdfida Piirdha. * “That which has declared,
in twelv'e thousand two hundred verses, the magnifi¬
cence of the egg of Brahmd, and in which an account

* A Tety popular wort wMch is considMod to be » part of the Brali-
Mum&a-yna'dAa, is the Jidhydima-rdmdyaAa. It has been lithographed,
with the commentary of Ndgeia Bhatfe, at Bombay. For somh account
of it, see Prot Aufrecht’s Caidog. Cod. Mdmeript. &c., pp. 28 and 29.

PEKFACE.

liXXXV

of the future Kaljjas is contained, is called the Brah-
in^hda Pui’diia, and was revealed by BrahiuA.’’^*

The Brahmihda Puraiia is usually considered to bo
in much the same predicament as tlie Skanda, no longer
procurable in a collective body, but represented by a
variety of KhaAdas and MAhdtmyas, professuig to be
derived from it. The facility with which any ti’act
may be thus attached to the non-existent original, and
the advantage that has been taken of its absence to
compEe a variety of unauthentic fi’agments, have given
to the BrahmMda, Skanda, and Padma, according to
Colonel WUford, the character of being “the Purdiias
of thieves or impostors.”® This is not applicable to
the Padma, which, as above shown, occurs entire and
the same in various parts of India.- The imposition of
which the other two are made the vehicles can deceive
no one 5 as the purpose of the particular legend is
always too obvious to leave any doubt of its origin.

Copies of what profess to be the entire Bi’ahmAiida
Purdiia ai’e sometimes, though rai*ely, procurable. I
met with one in two portions, the former containing
one hundred and twenty-four chapter’s, the latter,
seventy-eight; and the whole containing about the
number of stanzas assigned to the Pui’ana. The first

* As. Res., Vol. Till., p. 252.

♦ ? _

t The four I. 0. L. USS, of the hare

I.XXXVI

PBEFACE.

aud largest portion, howevex*, proved to be the same
as the Vsiyu Puraiia, with a passage occasionally
slightly vained, and at the end of each chapter the
coimnon phi-ase ‘Iti BrahmdAda PurMe’ substituted
for ‘Iti Vayu Purdi'ie’. I do not think there was any
intended fi*aud in the substitution. The last section
of the fii'st part of the Vdyu Puraha is tei’med the
Brahmdhda section, giving an account of the dissolution
of the universe; and a careless or ignorant transciiber
might have taken this for the title of the whole. The
checks to the identity of the work have been honestly
pi’eserved, both in the index and the frequent specifi¬
cation of Vayu as the teacher or narrator of it.

The second poiiion of this Brahmdfida is not any
part of the Vdyu: it is, probably, current in the Dakhin
as a Sai nh ita. or Khadda. Agastya is represented as
going to the city Kanchf (Oonjeveram), where Vishdu,
as Hayagrfva, appears to him, and, in answer to his
inquiries, imparts to him the means of salvation, the
worship of Parasakti. In illustration of the efficacy of
this form of adoration, the main subject of the work
is an account of the exploits of Lalitd Devi, a form of
Durgd, and her destruction of the demon BhMddsura.
Bides for her worship are also given, which are de¬
cidedly of a ^akta or Tdntrika description; and this
work cannot be admitted, therefore, to be part of a
genuine PurMa.

The UpapurMas, in the few instances which are
known, differ little, in extent or subject, from some of
those to which the title of Purdfia is ascribed. The
Matsya enumerates but four; but the Devi Bhdgavata
I has a more complete list^ and spemfies eighteen. They

PREFACE.

LXXXVIT

are: 1. The Sanatkumara, 2. Narasimha^* 3. Naradfya,
4. i§iva, 5. Durvasasa, 6. Kapila, 7. Msinava, 8. Ausa-
nasa, 9. Vdimfia, 10. Kalika, 11. I$4mba, 12. Nandi,
13. Sanra, 14. Pdr44ara, 15. Aditya, 16. Mfiheswara,
17. Bh4gavata, 18. V4sish^ha. The Matsya obseiTes,
of the second, that it is named in the Padma Purahajf
and oontams eighteen thousand verses. The Nandi it
calls Nand4, and says, that K4rttikeya tells, in it, the
stoiy of Nanda.t A rather different list is given in the
Reva Khahda; or: 1. Sanatkumdra, 2. Ndrasihiha,
3. Nandii, 4. j^ivadharma, 5. Damvdsasa, 6. Bhavishya,
related by Narada or Nii’adlya, 7. K4pila, 8. Mdnava,
9. Au^anasa, 10. Bi’ahmdASa, 11. V4x’uAa, 12. K41ik4,
13. M4helwara, 14. I^dmba, 15. Saura, 16. PArd^ara,
17. Bhdgavata, 18. Kaurma. These authorities, how¬
ever, are of questionable weight; having in view, no
doubt, the pretensions of the Devi Bh^gavata to be
considered as the authentic. Bhdgavata.

Of these XJpapur4has few are to be procured. Those
in my possession are the ^iva, considered as distinct
from the V4yu, the K41ik4, and, perhaps, one of the
Nfiradlyas, as noticed above. I have, also, three of the

* For an account of the Narasiihkorpurdtta, see Prof. Aufrecht’s Catalog.
Cod. Manuscript., &c., pp. 82 and 83.
f In the Eevd^ndlidtmya, it is thus spohen of:

'SR 411 <1^ I

Three of the I. 0. L. copies of the MatsyarpwrMa men^on, besides
the NarasMa and the Nandd, the ^dmha and the Aditya; while one
copy omits the J^dtnha, It seems that the Oxford MS. omits the Adtiga^
See Prof. Aufirecht’a Catalog. Cod, Maimcript, &o,, p. 40,

Lxxsvin

PEEB'ACB.

Skantlliua oftheDovf Bhagavata^ which, most midoub-
todly, is not the veal Bhagavata, supposing that any
Pm'i'nia so named preceded the work of Bopadeva.
There can he no doubt tliat in any authentic list the
name of Bhagavata does not occur amongst the Upar
pun'uias: it has been put there to prove that there ai-e
two works so entitled, of which the Purdiia is the Devi
Bhagavata, the Upapuraiia, the 6ri Bhagavata. The
true readuig should be Bhdrgava,* the PurAha of
Bhrigu: tuid the Devi Bhagavata is not even an Upa-
puraiia. It is veiy questionable if the eiitu’e work,
which, as far* as it extends, is emuiently a S^ta com¬
position, ever had existence, f

The Siva Upapm*Aha contains about six thousand
stanzas, distiibuted into two parts. It is related by
SanatkumaratoVyasa and the!feishis atNaimishdrafiya;
and its character may be judged of from the questions
to which it is a reply. “Teach us”, said the foshis,
“the rules of w’orshipping the Linga, and of the god
of gods adored under that type: describe to us his
various foi'ins, the places sanctified by him, and the
prayei’S with which he is to be addressed.” In answer,
Sauatkiunara repeats the ^iva PurMa, containiug the
biith of Mslifiu audBrahmd; the creation and divisions
of the universe; the ori^ of all things fr'om the Linga;
the rules of worshipping it aiad l^iva; the sanctity of

* This suggestion is offered by the anonymous author of the Dmjmor
muklia-paJma-pddulctL See Bnmoufs BMgavaia-puraaiOy Yol. L, Preface,
p. LX3LVU.

t The editor saw, at Benafes, about twelve years ago, a manuscript
of the DenMdgavata, containing some 18,000 Mas. Its owner, a learned
Brahman, maintained that his copy was complete* To collect its various
parts, he had travelled during many years, and over a large part of India,

PEBFAC]?*

LXXXIX

times, places, and things, dedicated to him; the delusion
of Bi*ahm4 and Vishhu by the Linga; the rewards of
offering flowers and the like to aLinga; rules for various
observances in honour of Mahddeva; the mode of prac¬
tising the Yoga; the glory of Benares and other iSaiva
Tfrthas; and the perfection of the objects of life by
union with Maheswara. These subjects ai*e illustrated,
in the first part^ with very few legends; but the second
is made up, almost wholly, of Saiva stories, as the
defeat of Tiipurdsura; the sacrifice of Daksha; the
buihs of K4rttikeya and Giatresa, (the sons of Siva), and
Nandi and Bhfingarfti (his attendants), and others;
together with descriptions of Benares and other places
of pilgrimage, and rules for observing such festivals
as the SivarAtri. This work is a Saiva manual, not a
Purina.

The Kiliki Purifla contains about nine thousand
^stanzas, in ninety-eight chapters, and is the oirly work
^of the series dedicated to recommend the worship of
the bride of Siva, in one or other of her manifold forms,
as Griiija, Devi, Bhadrakilf, Kih,Mahimiyi. It belongs,
therefore, to the Sikta modification of Hindu belief,
or the worship of the female powers of the deities.
The influence of this worship shows itself in the very
first pages of the work, which relate the incestuous
passion of Brahmd for his daughter Sandhy^ in a strain
that has nothing analogous to it in the VAyu, Linga,
or Siva PurMas.

The marriage of Siva and P4rvatf is a subject early
described, with the sacrifice of Daksha, and the death
of Satf. And this work is authority for Siva’s carrying
the dead body about the world, and the origin of the

i;risfacb.

xo

PitlrnKtlitinaR or places where the diflferent members
ol* it were scattei’ed, anil where Lingas were, conse-
<iueiitly, erected. A legend follows of the births of
Hhahava and Vet^a, whose devotion to different forms
of Devi furnishes occasion to describe, in gi’eat detail,
the rites and fonnulaj of which her worship consists,
including the chapters on sanguinaiy sacrifices, trans¬
lated in the Asiatic Researches.* Another peculiai’ity
in this work is afforded by very prolix descriptions of
a iimnber of rivers and mountains at Kdmai’dpa Tirtha,
in Assam, and rendered holy ground by the celebrated
temple of Durg4 m that country, as Kamakshi or Ka-
makshyti. It is a singular, and yet uninvestigated, cu*-
eumstance, that Assam, or, at least, the north-east of
Bengjd, seems to have been, in a great degree, the
source fi'om which the Tantrika and Sakta corruptions
of the religion of the Vedas and Pnr4fias proceeded.

The specification of the .Upapur^iias, whilst it names
several of which the existence is problematical, omits
other works bearing the same designation, which ai’e
sometimes met with. Thus, in the collection of Colonel
Mackenzie,^ we have a portion of the Bhdrgava, and a
Mudgala PurMa, which is, probably, the same with
the G-aueiaUpapurMa, cited by Colonel Vans Kennedy. ®

I have, also, a copy of the Gafie^a Pui’iiia,f which

' Mackcnaie Collection, Tol. I., pp. 50, 51.

* Eesearelies into Ao Nature and Affinity of Ancient and TTinSn
MyAology, p. 251,

• Vol. V., pp. 371, et laj.

+ For Dr. J. Sterenson’s “Analysis of tie Saiesa Purina, with special
reference to the History of Buddhism”, see Jowmtl of the Boutd Aeiiaie
Soeiei^ Yol, VIU, pp. 3X8-823.

PEEPACE.

XCI

seems to agree with that of which he speaks; the second
portion being entitled the Krlda Khaiida, in which the
pastimes of G-aiie^a, including a variety of legendaiy
matters, are described. The main subject of the work
is the greatness of GaAesa; and prayers and foimulae
appropriate to him are abundantly detailed. It appears
to be a work originating with the G4,iiapa1ya sect, or
worshippers of GaAesa. Thei'e is, also, a muior PuraAa
called Adi or ‘fost’, not included in the list. Tliis is a
work, howevei*, of no gi-eat extent or impoitance, and
is confined to a detail of the sports of the juvenile
EjfishAa.

From the sketch thus offered of the subjects of the
PuraAas, and which, although admitting of correction,
is believed to be, in the main, a candid and accurate
summary, it will be evident, that, in their pi’esent con¬
dition, they mustbe received with caution, as authorities
for the mythological religion of the Hindus at any
remote period. They preseiwe, no doubt, many ancient
notions and traditions; but these have been so much
mixed up with foreign matter, intended to favour the
popularity of particular forms of wo^hip, or articles
of faith, that they cannot be unreservedly recognized
as genuine representations of what we have reason to
believe the PurMas originally were.

The safest sources, for the ancient legends of the
Hindus, after the Vedas, are, no doubt, the two great
poems, the RdmdyaAa and Mahabhai’ata. The first
offers only a few; but they are of a primitive character.
The MahAbharata is more fertile in fiction; but it is
more miscellaneous; and much that it contains is of
equivocal authenticity and uncertain date, Still, it

XCII

mFACB.

affords many materials that are genuine; and it is,
evidently, the gi’eat fountain fi’om which most, if not
all, of the Piu'4has have di-awn; as it intimates, itself,
when it dedares, that there is no legend current in the
world which has not its origin in the Mahahhdi'ata.^

A work of some extent, professing to be part of the
MuhilbharatajUiay, more accurately, be ranked with the
Paurdnik compilations of least authenticity and latest
origin. The Hari Vaahsa is chiefly occupied with the
adventures of Eji-ishiia; but, as mtroduetoiy to his era,
it records paj.'ticulai's of the creation of the woidd, and
of the pati-iai’chal and regal dynasties. This is done
with much cai-elessness and inaccuracy of compilation;
as I have had occasion, frequently, to notice, in the
followmg pages. The work has been veiy industriously
tran^htted by M. Langlois.

/A comparison of the subjects of the following pages
with those of the other Puraflas will sufficiently show,
that, of the whole series, theVishflu ipost closely con¬
forms to the definition of a Pancha-lakshafia Purdha,
or one which treats of five specified topics. It com¬
prehends them all; and, although it has infused a por¬
tion of extraneous and sectarial mattei*, it has done so
\ntl\ sobriely and with judgment, and has not suffered
tlie fervour of its religious zeal to ti*ansport it into
veiy wide deviations from the prescribed path. The
legendary tales which it has inserted are few, and are
conveniently arranged, so that they do not ^tract the

‘Unconnected -with this narrative, no story is known upon
nth.’ jLdi-parvan, 307,

PBEPACE.

xcni

attention of the compiler from objects of more per-
^ manent iiitei'est and importance.

The fii’st book of the six, into which the work is
divided, is occupied chiefly with the details of creation,
prhnary (Sai-gu) and secondaay (Pratisarga); the first
exp lainuig how t he universe 2 >roceeds"llR)iij: Prakj^ti
or eter nal crude the seconcTTi^wli^manner

the fonns of things are developed froin' fli e er cineiitarv^
substances pi^vj 9 uslj_evol 3 ’ed^.on liaa:..tlxey. reaiipear
afte rtEeu - tempormy destruclion-»Both these creations
are peiiodical; but the tenmnation of the first occurs ’
on ^ at the end of t he life o f Braliin^. .when not only
all the gods and all other fonns are anniliilated, but
the elements are again mei'ged into primaiy substance,
besides which, one only spu’itual being exists. The
latter takes place at the end of every Kalpa or day of
Brahmd, and affects only the forms of infeidor creatui’es,
and lower worlds; leaving the substance of the univei*se
entire, and sages and gods unharmed. The explanation
of these events involves a descinption of tlie periods
of time upon which they depend, and which are, ac¬
cordingly, detailed. Their character has been a source
of very unnecessaiy pei^lexity to European wiitere;
as they belong to a scheme of chi'onology wholly my¬
thological, having no reference to any real or supposed
history of the Hindus, but applicable, accoi’ding to their
system, to the infinite and eternal revolutions of the
universe. In these notions, and in that of the coeternity
of spirit and matter, the tlieogony and cosmogony of
the PurAhas, as they appear in the Vishhu Purfuia,
belong to and illustrate systems of high antiquity, of

XC3IV

PREFACE.

which we have only fragmentaiy traces in the I’ecords
of other nations.

The course of the elemental creation is, intheVishhu,
as in other Purdhas, taken fi’oni the Sdnkhya philoso¬
phy; but the agency that operates upon passive matter
is confusedly exhibited, in consequence of a partial
adoption of the illusoiy theory of the Veddnta philo¬
sophy, and the prevalence of the PaurMik doctrine of
pantheism. However incompatible with the indepen¬
dent existence of Pradhdna or crude matter, and how¬
ever incongruous with the separate condition of pure
spirit orPurusha, it is declared, repeatedly, that Vishiiu,
as one with the supreme being, is not only spirit, but
crude matter^ and not only the latter, but all visible
substance, and Time. He is Purusha, ‘spirit’; Pi'ad-
hana, ‘crude matter’; Vyakta, ‘visible form’; andKdla,
‘time’. This cannot but be I’egarded as a departure
fi‘om the primitive dogmas of the Hindus, in which
the distinctness of the Deity and his works was enun¬
ciated; in which, upon his willing the world to be, it
was; and in which his interposition in oi*eation, held
to be inconsistent with the quiescence of perfection,
was explained away by the personification of attributes
in action, which afterwards came to be considered as
real divinities, Bi-ahmd, Vishhu, and 3iva, charged,
sevei’sdly, for a given season, with the creation, pre¬
servation, and temporary annihflation of materialforms.
These divinities are, in tiie following pages, consistently
with the tendency of a Vaishhava work, declared to
be no other than VishAu. In iSaiva PurAAas, they are,
in like manner, identified with l^iva; the PurAAas thus
displaying and explaining the seeming incompatibility,

rEEFACB.

XCV

of which there ai’e traces in other ancient mythologies,
between three distinct hypostases of one superior deity,
and the identification of one or other of those hypos¬
tases with their common and separate original.

After the world has been fitted for the i*eeeptiou of
living creatures, it is peopled by the will-engendered
sons of Brahmti, the Prajapatis or patriarchs, and their
posterity. It would seem as if a primitive tradition of
the descent of mankind from seven holy personages
had at first preA^ailed, but that, in the course of time,
it had been expanded into complicated, and not always
consistent, amplification. How could these !feishis*or
patriarchs have posterity? It was necessaiy to pro¬
vide them with wives. In order to account for their
existence, the Manu Swdyainbhuva and his wife Sata-
rupa were added to the scheme; or Brahm4 becomes
twofold, male and female; and daughters are then be¬
gotten, who are married to the Pi’ajdpatis. Upon this
basis various legends of Brahma’s double nature, some,
no doubt, as old as the Vedas, have been constructed.
But, although they may have been derived, in some
degree, from the authentic tradition of the origin of
mankind from a single pair, yet the cfrcumstances in¬
tended to give more interest and precision to the stoiy
ai'e, evidently, of an allegorical or mystical desciiption,
and conduced, in apparently later times, to a coarseness
of realization whidi was neither the letter nor spirit
of the original legend. SwAyambhuva, the son of the
self-bom or uncreated, and his wife Satarup4, the
hundred-formed or multiform, ai’e, themselves, alle¬
gories; and their female descendants, who become the
wives of the il^ishis, ai’e Faith, Devotion, Content, In-

XCVl

PEEPACE.

telligenco, Tradition, and the like; whilst, amongst their
posterity, we have the different phases of the moon
and the* sacrificial fires. In another m-eation, the chief
source of creatures is the patriarch Daksha (ability),
whose daughters—^\’ii’tues, or Passions, or Asti’onomi-
cal Phenomena—are the mothers of all existing things.
Those legends, peii)lexed as they appear to bo, seem
t<» admit of allowable solution, in the conjecture that
the Prsijiipatis and Rishis were real personages, the
authors of the Hindu system of social, moral, and
religious obligations, and the first observers of the
heavens, and teachers of astronomical science.

The regal personages of the Swayaiibhuva Manwan-
bim are but few; but they are described, in the outset,
as governing the eai’th in the dawn of society, and as
introducing agi'iculture and civilization. How much
of their story rests upon a traditional remembrance of
then* actions, it would be useless to conjecture; although
there is no extravagance in supposmg that the legends
relate to a period prior to the full establishment, in
India, of the Brahmanical institutions. The legends of
Hhruva and PraWdda, which are intermingled witli
these pai’ticulars, are, in all probability, ancient; but
they are amplified, in a sti-ain conformable to the Vaish-
nava puri)ort of this PurMa, by doctiines and prayei’S
asserting the identity of Vishfiu with the Supreme. It
is clear that the stories do not originate with this
Pordfia. In that of Prahl&da, particulai'ly, as hereafter
pointed out, circumstances essential to the complete¬
ness of the story are only alluded to, not recounted;
showing, indisputably, Ihe writer’s having availed him-
srif of some prior authority for his narration.

HREPACE.

xcvn

The second book opens witli a continuation of the
kings of the first Manwantai’a; amongst •whom, Bharata
is said to hare given a name to India, called, after him,
Bharata-varsha. This leads to a detail of the geograr
phical system of the PurAiias, with mount Meru, the
seven circular continents, and then* suiTounding oceans,
to the limits of the world j all of which are mythologi¬
cal fictions, in which there is little reason to imagine
that any topographical ti'uths ai*e concealed, ’^ith
regard to Bhdrata or India, the case is different. The
mountains and river’s which ai’e named ai’e readily
verifiable; and the cities and nations that are parti-
culai’ized may, also, in many instances, be proved to
have had a real existence. The list is not a very long
one, in the Vishfiu Purafia, and is, probably, abridged
from some more ample detail, like that which the Ma-
hdbhdrata affords, and which, in the hope of supply¬
ing information with respect to a subject yet imper¬
fectly investigated, the ancient political condition of
India, I have inserted and elucidated.

The description which this book also contains of
the planetai’y and other spheres, is equally mythologi¬
cal, although occasionally pi’esenting pr*actical details
and notions in which there is an approach to accuracy.
The concluding legend of Bharata—^in his former life,
the king so named, but now a Brahman, who acquii'es
true wisdom, and thereby attains liberation—^is, pal¬
pably, an invention of the compiler’, and is peculiar to
this PurMa.

The arrangement of the Vedas and other writings
considered sacred by the Hindus,—being, in fact, the
authorities of their religious rites and belief,—^which is
h g

PKEPACB.

j''

described in the beginning of the third book, is of much
inipm-tance to the history of Hindu literature and of
the Hindu religion. The s^e Vydsa is here repre¬
sented, not as the author, but the arranger or compiler,
Cf the Vedas, the Itihasas, and Purdhas. His name
^ denotes his character, meaning the ‘arranger’ or ‘dis¬
tributor’;* and the recurrence of many Vyasas, many
individuals who new-modelled the Hindu scriptures,
has nothing, in it, that Is impro bable,~e xe^ptl.]fc~fabu-
ItHir'iniervala i3y''’Wiri'gh their labours ai’e separated.
The I’eavranging^ the refiiludniHgj'b'f bid materials is
nothing more thaiv the progi'ess of time would be likely
to lender necessaay. The last recognized compilation
is that of Krishha Dwa ipAyana, assisted by Brahmans
whoVrei'e already conversant with the subjects r¥spec-
tively assigned to them. They were the membei's of
a college, or school, supposed, by the Hindus, to have
flourished in a period more remote, no doubt, than
the truth, but not at all unlikely to have been instituted
at some time prior to the accounts of India which we
owe to Greek writers, and in which we see enough of
the system to justify oim inferring that it was then
entire. That there have been other Vy4sas and other
schools since that date, that Brahmans unknown to

* MaMbhdrata, 2417:

“loasmach as he anangedtbe mass of the yedas, he is styled yyasa.”

Again, ihid^ Aili-fcavan, 4236:

These two passages are referred to in Lassen’s Indtsclte Alt&rthums-
kundt, Vol, L, p. 629, note 2.

See, tether, Original Samkrit Tejuts, Part IL, p. 177, and Part. III.,
pp, 20, ^ seg^ and p. 190.

1‘IIEFACE.

XCIX

fame have remorlellecl some t)f the Himlu scriptures,
and, especially, the Piirahas, cannot reasonably be con¬
tested, after dispassionately weighing? the strong iutej'-
nal evidence, which all of them afford, of the intennix-
tnre of unanthorized ami comparatively mofleni ingre¬
dients. But the same internal testimony furnishes
proof, equally decisive, of the anterior existence of
ancient materials; and it is, therefore, as idle as it is
irrational, to dispute the antiquity or authenticity of
the greater portion of the contents of the Pnrahas.
in the face of abundant positive and cireuiustantial
evidence of the prevalence of the doctrines which they
teach, the currency of the .legends which they nan*ate.
and the integrity of the institutions which they describe,
at least three centuries before the Christian era. But
the origin and development of their doctrines, tradi¬
tions, and institutions were not. the work of a day:
and the testimony that establishes their existence tln’oe
eentuiies before Obristianity, carries it back to a much
more remote antiquity, to an antiquity that is, pi’ubably,
not sux'passed by any of the prevailing hetions, insti¬
tutions, or belief, of the ancient world.

The remamder of the third book describes the lead¬
ing institutions of the Hindus, the duties of castes, the
obligations of different stages of life, and the celchrii-
tion of obsequial rites, in a short but primitive strain,
and in haiinony with the laws of Mann. It is a dis¬
tinguishing featui’e of tlie Vishiiu Piirsiiia, and it is
chax’acteristic of its being the work of an earlier period
than most of the Puraiias, that it enjoins no sectarial
or other acts of supei’ei’ogation; no Vratas, occasional
self-imposed obseiwauces; no holydays, no birthdays.

0

PBEFACB.

of K£*ishi'ia, iio nights dedicated to Lakslimf; no sacri¬
fices 01 * modes of woi’sliip other than tliose conformable
to the ritual of the Vedas. It contains no Mihdtmyas
or golden legends, even of the temples m which VisMu
is adored.

The fourth book contains all that the Hindus have
of their ancient histoiy. It is a toler-ably comprehensive
list of dynasties and individuals: it is a barren recoi’d
of events. It can scarcely be doubted, however, that
much of it is a genuine chronicle of persons, if not of
occurences. That it is discredited by palpable absiu’d-
ities in regard to the longevity of the princes of the
earlier dynasties, must be granted; and the particulars
preseiwed of some of them are trivial and fabulous.
Still, there is an inartificial simplicity and consistency
ill the succession of persons, and a possibility and pro¬
bability in some of the transactions, which give to
these traditions the semblance of authenticity, and
render it likely, that they are not altogether without
foundation. At any rate, in the absence of all other
sources of information, the record, such as it is, de-
sei’ves not to be altogether set aside. It is not essential
to its wedibility, or its usefulness, that any exact cjiro-
nological adjustment of the diffa*ent reigns should be
attempted. Thdr distribution amongst the several
Yugas, undertaken by Sir William Jones, or his Pan¬
dits, finds no countenance from the origmal texts,
further than an incidental notice of the age in which
a particular monarch ruled, or the general fact that
the dynasties prior to Kiishfia precede the time of the
Great Wax and the beginning of the Kali age; both
which events we ai-e not obliged, with the Hindus, to

VREFACK.

cr

place fivo thousand years ago. I'o that, age the s^olar
dynasty of princes offers ninety-throe des<'ents, the
lunar, but forty-five; though they both commence at
the same time. Some names may have been added
to the former list, some, omitted in the latter; and it
seems most likely, that, notwithstanding their syn¬
chronous beginning, the princes of the lunar i*ace
were subsequent to those of the solar dynasty. They
avowedly branched off from the solar line: and the
legend of Sndyumna,^ that explains the eomioxion, has
eveiy appearance of having been contrived for the
purpose of referring it to a period more I’emote than
tlie truth. Deducting, however, ti-om the larger number
of princes a considerable proportion, there is nothing
to shock probability in supposing, that the Hindu dy¬
nasties and their ramifications were spread thi’ough
an interval of about twelve centui’ies anterior to the
war of the MahAbh4i-ata, and, conjecturing that event
to have happened about foimteen centiudes before
Chiustianity, thus canying the commencement of the
regal dynasties of Lidia to about two thousand six
hundred years before that date. This may, or may
not, be too remote;® but it is sufficient, in a subject

‘ Book IV., Chapter L

® However incompatible with the ordinary computation of the
period that is supposed to have elapsed between the hood and
the birth of Christ, this falls sufficiently within the larger limits
which are now assigned, upon the best authorities, to that period.
As observed by Mr. Milman, in his note on the annotation of
Gibbon (II., 301), which refers to this subject: “Most of the more
learned modern Englii^ protestants, as Dr. Hales, Mr. Faber,
Dr. Bussell, as well as the continental writers, adopt the larger

rit

PKEFACK.

wliHiH' j)i'c<''isioii is iiiipossibli?, to bs SHtishcd with the
freiioi-al iuipressioii, that, in the dynasties ol‘ kings de-
taile<l in tlie Pnninas, we have a record which, altliough
it cannot fail to have suffered detriment from age, and
may have been injiu’ed by careless or injudicious com¬
pilation, preserves an account, not wholly undeseiwing
of confidence, of the establishment and succession of
regular monarchies, amongst the Hindus, from as eaady
an ei*a, and for as continuous a duration, as any in the
credible annals of mankind.

The circumstances that ai’e told of the first princes
have evident relation to the colonization of India, and
the gradual extension of the authority of new races
over ail uninhabited or uncivilized region. It is com¬
monly admitted, that the Brahmanical I’eligion and ci¬
vilization were brought into India from without. ^ Oer-
lainly, there are tiibes on the borders, and in the heart
of the countiy, who ai*e still not Hmdus; and passages
in the Eamayaiia, and Mah^bMrata, and Manu, and
the unifonn traditions of the people themselves, point
to a period when Bengal, Orissa, and the whole of the
Dakhin were inhabited by degraded or outoaste, that
is, by barbarous, tribes. The traditions of the PurMas

chronology/’ To these may be added the opinion of Br. Mill,
who, for reasons wliieli he has fully detailed, identifies the com¬
mencement of the Kali age of the Hindus, B. C. 3102, with the
era of the deluge. Christa Sangita, Introd., supplementary note.

^ Sir William eTones on the Hindus (As. Res., Vol. III.);
Klaproth, Asia Polyglotta; Colonel Vans Kennedy, Researdies
into the Origin and *Vffinity of the Principal Languages of Asia
and Europe; A. von Schlegel, Origines des Hindoos (Transactions
of the Royal Society of literature).

PRRFACE.

ciir

confirm these views: but they lend no assistance to
the determination of the question whence the Hindus
came; whether from a central Asiatic nation, as Sir
WOliam Jones supposed, or from the Caucasian moun¬
tains, the plains of Babylonia, or the bordere of the
Caspian, as conjectured by Klaproth, Vans Kennedy,
and Schlegel. The affinities of the Sanskrit language
prove a common origin of the now widely scattered
nations amongst whose dialects they are traceable, and
render it unquestionable that they must all have spread
abroad from some centrical spot in that pai’t of the
globe first inhabited by mankind, according to the
inspired record. Whether any indication of such an
event be discoverable in the Vedas, remains to be de¬
termined; but it would have been obviously incompat¬
ible with the PaurMik system to have referred the
origin of Indian princes and principalities to other than
native sources. We need not, thei*efore, expect, fi.*om
them, any information as to the foreign derivation of
the Hindus.

We have, then, wholly insufficient means for arriving
at any information concerning tlie ante-Inffian period
of Hindu histoi’y, beyond the general conclusion deri¬
vable from the actual presence of barbarous and, appar
rently, aboriginal tribes—from the admitted progressive
extension of Hinduism into parts of India where it did
not prevail when the code of Mann was compiled—fi’om
the general use of dialects in India, more or less copious,
which are different from Sanskrit—and from the affi¬
nities of that language with forms of speech current
in the western world—that a people who spoke San¬
skrit, and followed the religion of the Vedas, came into

CIV

PBBFACB.

India, in sonn‘. veiy <listant age, from laiultf west of the
Indus. Whether the date and circumstances of their
immigration will ever be ascertained, is extremely
doubtful: but it is not difficult to form a plausible out¬
line of then* early site and progressive colonization.

The eaidiest seat of the Hindus, within the confines
of Hindusthdu, was, undoubtedly, the eastern confines
(if the Punjab. The holy land of Mann and the Purdfias
lies between the DHshadw^atl and Saraswatf rivers,—the
Oaggar and Sursooty of our barbarous maps. Various
adventures of the first princes and most famous sages
occur in this vicinity; and the Asi’amas or religious
domiciles of several of the latter are placed on the
banks of the Sai’aswatl. According to some authorities,
it was the abode of Vyasa, the compiler* of the Vedas
and Purahas; and, agreeably to another, when, on one
occasion, the Vedas had fallen into disuse and been
forgotten, the Brahmans were again instructed in them
by Sdraswata, the son of Saraswatf. ‘ One of the most
distinguished of the tribes of the Brahmans is known
as the Sdraswata;® and the same word is employed, by
Mr. Oolebrooke, to denote that modification of Sanskrit
which is termed generally Prakrit, and which, in this
case, he supposes to have been the language of the
SAraswata nation, “which occupied the banks of the
river Saraswatf.”® The river itself receives its appella-

* See Book HI., Chapter VL, note adjinem,

* As. Res., Vol. V., p. 65.t

» Ibid., Vol., Vn., p. 219. t

‘ See »y note in p. XCVIII., eupra.

+ JUkeellofieo'ia Emys, Vol. It, p. 179,
J iSii, Vot It, p. 21 .

PREFACE.

rv

tion from Saraswatf, the goddess of learning, under
whose auspices the sacred literature of the Hindus
assumed shape and authointy. These indications render
it certain, that, whatever seeds were inipoi*ted from
without, it was in the countiy adjacent to the Saias-
watf river that they were fii’st planted, and cultivated,
and I’eared, in Hindusthan.

The tract of land thus assigned for the first establish¬
ment of Hinduism in India, is of very circiunscribed
extent, and could not have been tlie site of any nume¬
rous tribe or nation. The ti’aditions that evidence the
early settlement of the Hindus in this quarter, ascribe
to the settlers more of a philosophical and religious,
than of a secular, charactei', and combine, with the very
naiTow bounds of the holy land, to render it possible,
that the earliest emigrants were the members, not of
a political, so much as of a religious, community; that
they were a colony of priests, not in the restricted
sense in which we use the term, but in that in which
it stUl applies in India, to an Agi'ahara, a village or
hamlet of Bi’ahmans, who, although manied, and having
families, and .engaging in tillage, in domestic duties,
and in the conduct of secular interests affecting the
community, are, still, supposed to devote their principal
attention to, sacred study and religious offices. A
society of this description, with its artificers and ser¬
vants, and, perhaps, with a body of martial followers,
might have found a home in the Brahmdvarta of Manu,
the land which, thence, was entitled ‘the holy’, or,
more literally, ‘the Brahman, region’, and may have
communicated to the rude, uncivilized, unlettered,
abori^es the rudiments of social organization, litera-

CVI

PREFACE.

ture, and religion; pai’tly, in all probability, brought
along with them, and partly devised and fashioned,
by degrees, for the growing necessities of new con¬
ditions of society. Those with whom this civilization
commenced would have had ample inducements to
prosecute their successful woi*k; and, in the course of
time, the improvement which germinated on the banks
of the Saraswatl was extended beyond the borders of
the Jumna and the Ganges.

We have no satisfactory intimation of the stages by
which the political organization of the people of Upper
India traversed the space between the Saraswati and
the more easterly region, whePe it seems to have taken
a concentitited form, and whence it diverged, in various
directions, throughout Hindusthan. The Manu of the
present period, Vaivaswata, the son of the Sun, is re¬
garded as the founder of Ayodhyd; and that city con¬
tinued to be the capital of the most celebrated branch
of his descendants, the posterity of Ikshw4ku. The
Vishhu Purdha evidently intends to describe the radiar
tion of conquest or colonization from this spot, in the
accounts it gives of the dispersion of Vaivaswata’s
posterity; and, although it is difficult to understand
what could have led early settlers in India to such a
site, it is not inconveniently situated as a commanding
position whence emigrations might proceed to the
east, the west, and the south. This seems to have
happened. A branch from the house of Ikshwdku spread
into Tirhoot, constituting the MmthUa kings; and the
posterity of another of Vaivaswata’s sons reigned at
Vaisdli, in Southern Tirhootj or Sarun.

PREFACE.

evil

The most adventurous emigrations, however, took
place through the lanai* dynasty, w'hich, as observed
above, originates fi*om the solar; making, in fact, but
one race and source for the whole. Leaving out of
consideration the legend of Sudyumna’s double trans¬
formation, Uie first prince of Pi*atishfh/ina, a city south
from Ayodliya, was one of Vaivasvrata’s children,
equally with Ikshwdku. The sons of Pnri'ii*avas, the
second of this branch, extended, by themselves, or
their posterity, in every du*eetion: to tire east, to
Magadha, Benares, and Behar; southwards, to the
Vindhya hills, and, across them, to Vidarbha or Berar;
westwards, along the Narmada, to Kusasthalf or Dw^-
r'ak4 in Gujerat; and, in a north-westerly direction, to
Mathuri. and Hastindpura. These movements are very
distinctly discoverable amidst the circumstances naj>
rated in the fouiih book of the Vishiia PurMa, and
are precisely such as might be expected firom a radiar
tion of colonies from Ayodhyd. Intimations also occur
of settlements in Banga, Kalinga, and the Dakhin: but
they ai-e brief and indistinct, and have the appearance
of additions subsequent to the comprehension of those
countries within the pale of Hinduism.

Besides these traces of migration and settlement,
several curious circumstances, not likely to be unautho¬
rized inventions, are hinted in these historical tradi¬
tions. The distinction of castes was not fully developed
prior to the colonization. Of the sons of Vaivaswata,
some, as kings, were Kshatriyas; but one founded a
tribe of Brahmans, another became a Vaidya, and a
fonilh, a Siidra. It is also said, of other princes, that
they established the four castes amongst their sub-

cvni

PREFACE.

jects.* There are, also, various notices of Brahmanical
Gotras or families, proceeding from Ksliatriya races;*
and thei'e are several indications of severe struggles
between the two ruling castes, not for temporal, but
for spiritual, dominion, the right to teach the Vedas.
Tliis seems to be the especial piu*port of the inveterate
hostility that prevailed between the Brahman Vasishtha
and the Kshatriya Visw^mitra, who, as the Ramdyaha
relates, compelled the gods to make him a Brahman
also, and whose posterity became very celebrated as
the Kausika Brahmans. Other legends, again, such as
Daksha’s sacrifice, denote sectarial strife; and the
legend of Parasurama reveals a conflict even for tem¬
poral authority, between the two ruling castes. More
or less weight will be attached to these conjectures,
according to the temperament of diffei'ent inquirers.
But, even whilst fully awai’e of the facility with which
plausible deductions may cheat the fancy, and little
disposed to relax all curb upon the imagination, I find
it difficult to regard these legends as wholly unsub¬
stantial fictions, or devoid of all resemblance to the
realities of the past.

After the date of the great war, the Vishfiu Purifia,
in common with those PiwMas which contain similar
lists, specifies kings and dynasties with greater pre¬
cision, and offers political and chronological partictdajrs
to which, on the score of probability, there is nothing
to object. In truth, their general accuracy has been
inconfrovertibly established. Inscriptions on columns

‘ See Book IV., Chapters VIII. and XVni., &c.
* See Book IV., Chapter XIX.

PEBPACE. OIX

of stone, on rocks, on coins, deciphered only of late
years, through the extraordinary ingenuity and per^
severance of Mr. James Piinsep, have verified the
names of races and titles of princes—^the Gupta and
Andhra Rajas, mentioned in the Purdfias—and have
placed beyond dispute the identity of Ohandragupta
and Sandrocoptus; thus giving us a fixed point fi’om
which to compute the date of other persons and events.
Thus, the Vishiiu PurAfia specifies the interval betvi'een
Ohandragupta and the Gi'eatWar to be eleven hundred
years; and the occurence of tlie latter little more than
fourteen centuides B. 0., as shown in my observations
on the passage,^ remarkably concurs with inferences
of the like date from different premises. The historical
notices that then follow ai-e considerably confused;
but they probably afford an accurate picture of the
political distractions of India at the time when they
were written: and much of the perplexity arises from
the corrupt state of the manuscripts, the obscure brev¬
ity of the record, and our total want of the means of
collateral illustration.

The fifth book of the Vishfiu Pur&fia is exclusively
occupied with the life of Krishfia. This is one of the
distinguishing characteristics of the Purifia, and is one
argument against its antiquity. It is possible, though
not yet proved, that Kiishfia, as an Avat4i’a of Vishfiu,
is mentioned in an indisputably genuine text of the
Vedas. He is conspicuously prominent in the Mah4-
bhdrata, but very contradictorily described there. The
pai*t that he usually perfoi*ms is that of a'mere mortal;

» See Book IV., Chapter XXIV.

cx PREFACE.

although the passages are numerous that attach divinity
to his person. Thei’e are, however, no descriptions, in
the Mahabhdrata, of his juvenile frolics, of his spoi’ts
in Vfinddvana, his pastimes with the cow-hoys, or even
his desti’uction of the Asuras sent to kill him. These
stories have, aU, a modern complexion; they do not
hai’monize witli the tone of the ancient legends, which
is, generally, grave, and, sometimes, majestic. They are
the creations of a puerile taste and gi'ovelling imagina¬
tion. These chaptera of the VishiiuPuraiia oflFer some
difficulties as to their originality. They are the same
as those on the same subject in tl\e Brahma Puraiia;
they are not veiy dissimilai* to those of the Bhdgavata.
The latter has some incidents which the Vishnu has
not, and may, therefore, be thought to have impi’oved
upon the prior narrative of the latter. On the other
hand, abridgment is equally a proof of posteriority as
amplification. The simpler, style of the Vishnu PurMa
is, however, in favour of its priority; and the miscel¬
laneous composition of the Brahma Purdfia rendere it
likely to have borrowed these chapters from the Vishiiu.
The life of Kfishfia in the Hari Vairria and the Brahma
Vaivarta are, indisputably, of later date^^

The last book contains an account of the dissolution
of the world, in both its major and minor cataclysms;
and, in the particulars of the end of all things by fii*e
and water, as well as in the principle of their perpetual
i*enovation, presents a faithful exhibition of opinions
that were general in the ancient world. ^ The meta-

' Dr. Thomas Barnet has collected the opinions of the ancient
world on this subject, tracing them, as he says, “to the earliest

PREFACE. CXI

physical annihilation of the universe, by the release of
the spirit from bodily existence, offers, as already re¬
marked, other analogies to doctrines and practices
taught by Pythagoras and Plato, and by the Platonic
Christians of later days.

The Vishhu Purdha has kept veiy deai* of pai'ticu-
lars from which an approximation to its date may be
conjectured. No place is described of which the saci'ed-
ness has any known limit, nor any work cited of pro¬
bable recent composition. The Vedas, the Pur4rias,
other works forming the body of Sanskrit literature,
are named; and so is the Mahdbhdrata, to which, there¬
fore, it is subsequent. Both Bauddhas and Jainas ai*e
adverted to. It was, therefore, written before the
former had disappeared. But they existed, in some
parts of India, as late as the twelf^ century, at least;
and it is probable that the Puriha was compiled before
that period. The Gupta kings reigned in the seventh
century.* The historical record of the Pur^a which
mentions them was, therefore, later: and there seems
little doubt that the saiiie alludes to the first incursions
of the Mohammedans, which took place in the eighth
century; which brings it still lower. In describing the
latter dynasties, some, if not all, of which were, no
doubt, contemporaiy, they ai’e described as reigning.

people, and the first appearances of Trisdom after the Flood.”
Sacred Theory of the Earth, Book HI., Chapter III. The Hindu
account explains what is imperfect or contradictory in ancient
tradition, as handed down from other and less carefully per¬
petuated sources.

More recent researches have rendered this conclusion doubtful.

CXII

PEBPACE.

altogether, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-six
years. Why this duration should have been chosen
does not appear; unless, in conjunction with the number
of years which are said to have elapsed between the
Great War and the last of the Andhra dynasty, which
preceded these different races, and which amounted
to two thousand three hundred and fifty, the compiler
was influenced by the actual date at which he wrote.
The aggregate of tlie two periods would be the Blali
year 4146, equivalent to A. D. 1045. There are some
variety and indistinctness in the enumeration of the
periods which compose this total: but the date which
results from it is not unlikely to be an approximation
to that of the Vishfiu Purdfia.

It is the boast of inductive philosophy, that it di’aws
its conclusions fix)m the careful observation and accu¬
mulation of facts; and it is, equally, the business of all
philosophical research to determine its facts before it
ventures upon speculation. This pi’ocedure has not
been observed in the investigation of the mythology
and traditions of the Hindus. Impatience to generalize
has availed itself, greedily of whatever promised to
afford materials for generalization; and &e most er¬
roneous views have been confidently, advocated, be¬
cause the guides to which their authors trusted were
ignorant or insufficient. The information gleaned by
Sir William Jones was gathered in an early season of
Sanskrit study, before the field was cultivated. The
same may be said of the writings of Paolmo da S. Bai‘-
tolomeo,^ with the further disadvantage of his having

^ Sjstema Brahmanicam, &c.

flUSFACE.

cxin

been imperfectly acquainted mtibi the Sanskrit language
and literature, and his veiling his deficiencies under
loftiness of pretension and a prodigal display of mis¬
applied erudition. The documents to which Wilford^
trusted proved to be, in great part, fabrications, and,
where genuine, were mixed up with so much loose and
unauthenticated matter, and so overwhelmed with
extravagance of speculation, that his citations need to
be carefully and skUfully sifted, before they can be
serviceably employed. The descriptions of Ward* are
too deeply tinctured by his prejudices to be implicitly
confided in; and they are also derived, in a great
measm'e, from the oral or written communications of
Bengali pandits, who are not, in general, very deeply
read in the authorities of their mythology. The ac¬
counts of Polier® were, in like manner, collected from
questionable sources; and his Mythologie des Indous
presents an heterogeneous noixture of popular and Pau-
rMik tales, of ancient traditions, and legends appar
rently invented for the occasion, which renders the
publication worse than useless, except in the hands of
those who can distinguish the pme metal from the alloy.
Such are the autliorities to which Maurice, Faber, and
Oreuzer have exclusively trusted, in their description
of the Hindu mythology; and it is no marvel that there
should have been an utter confounding of good and
bad in their selection of materials, and an inextricable

^ Asiatic Researches.

* View of the History, Literature, and Religion of the Hindoos*
with a Description of their Manners and Customs.

* Mythologie des Indous, edited by la Chanoinesse de Polier*

I. h

CXIV

PBEPACB.

mixture of ti’uth and en*or in their conclusions. Their
labours, accoiflingly, are far from entitled to that con¬
fidence -which their leai-ning and industry -would, else,
have secitt’ed; and a sound and comprehensive, survey
of the Hindu system is still wanting to the comparative
analysis of the religions opinions of the ancient -world,
and to a satisfactoiy elucidation of an important chap¬
ter in the histoiy of the human race. It is with the
hope of supplying some of the necessaay means for the
accomplishment of these objects, that the follo-wing
pages have been translated.

The translation of the Vishfiu PurMa has been made
from a collation of various manuscripts in my posses¬
sion. I had three, when I commenced the work; two
in the Devanagari, and one in the Bengali, chaoraetor.
A foiu'th, from the west of India, was given to me by
Major Jeivis, when some progi'ess had been made;
and, m conducting the latter half of the translation
through the pi-ess, I have compared it with three other
copies in the library of the East India Company. All
these copies closely agree; presenting no other difle-
rences than occasional varieties of reading, owmg,
chiefly, to the inattention or inaccuracy of the trans¬
criber. Pour of the copies were accomjjanied by a
commentaiy, essentially the same, although occasion¬
ally varying, and ascribed, in pari, at lea,st, to two
diffei*ent scholiasts. The annotations on the first two
books and the fifth are, in two MSS., said to be the
work of Sridhara Yati, the disciple of Pardnanda Nfi-
hari, and who is, therefore, the same as iSridhara Swa-
min, the commentator on the BhAgavata. In the other
three books, these two MSS. concur -with other two in

PREFACE.

oxv

naming the commentator Ratnagarbha Bhaiidcharya,
who, in those two, is the author of the notes on the
entire work. The intx'oductory verses* of his comment
specify him to be the disciple of Vidydvdehaspati,
the son of Hirai'iyagarbha, and gi*andson of Mddhava,
who composed his commentary by desii’e of Siiiyakai-a,
son of RatinathaMi^ra, son of Ghandrakai’a, hereditary
ministers of some sovereign who is not particulainzed.
In the illustrations which ai’e athibuted to these diflfe-
rent writers, there is so much conformity, that one or
other is lai*gely indebted to his predecessor. They
both refer to earlier commentaries, i^ridhara cites the
works of Ohitsukha Yogin and others, both more ex¬
tensive and more concise; between which, his own,
which he terms Atraar or Swa-prakdsa, ‘self-illuminator’,

* The verses referred to are as follows:

II

^sn^4idi<rii«iif?i^(!id:

At the end of Ratnagarbha’s commentary we read:

W '*i«id4T»t1l[ fVd ’Empr; ii

h*

CONTENTS,

BOOK I.

CHAPTER I.

Invocation. Maitreya inquires of his teacher, Par^sara, the
origin anti nature of the univei’se. Partisara performs a rile
to (lesiroy the demons; reproved by Vasishtlia, he desists:
Pulaslya appears, and bestows upon him divine knowledge:
he repeats the Visbiiu Puraiia. Vishnu the origin, existence,
and cud of all things.

CHAPTER II.

Prayer of Parasara to Vishnu. Successive narration of the Vishnu
Purana. Explanation of Vasudeva; his existence before crea¬
tion : his first manifestations. Description of Pradhana or the
chief principle of things. Cosmogony. Of Prjlkfita or ma¬
terial creation; of time; of the active cause. Development of
effects; Mahat; Ahadikara; Tanmatras; elements; objects of
sense; senses; of the mundane egg. Vishnu the same as
Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, Rudra the de¬
stroyer.

CHAPTER in.

Measure of time. Moments or Kaslilhas, &c.; day and night;
fortnight, month, year, divine year: Yugas or ages; Mahayuga
or great age; day of Brahma: periods of the Manus: a Man-
wantara; night of Brahma and destruction of the world; a year
of Brahma; his life; a Kalpa; aPardrdha; the past or Padma
Kalpa: the present or Vdrdha.

cxx

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER IV.

Narayana's appearance, in the beginning of the Kalpa, as the
Varaha or boar; Pfithivi (Earth) addresses him: he raises the
■world from beneath the waters: hymned by Sanandana and
the Yogins. The earth floats on the ocean: divided into seven
zones. The lower spheres of the universe restored. Creation
renewed.

CHAPTER V.

Vishnu, as Brahmd, creates the world. General characteristics of
creation. Brahma meditates, and gives origin to immovable
things, animals, gods, men. Specific creation of nine kinds:
Mahat, Tanmatra, Aindriya> inanimate objects, animals, gods,
men, Anugraba, and Kaumara. More particular account of
creation. Origin of different orders of beings from Brahmd’s
body under different conditions, and of the Vedas from his
mouths. All things created again as they existed in a former
Kalpa.

CHAPTER VI.

Origin of the four castes: their primitive state. Progress of
society. Different kinds of grain. Efficacy of sacrifice. Duties
of men: regions assigned them after death.

CHAPTER Vn.

Creation continued. Production of the mind-born sons of Brahmd^
of the Prajdpatis; of Sanandana and others; of Rudra and the
eleven Eudras; of the Mann Swayambhuva and his wife Sata-
rupa; of their ddldren. The daughters of Daksha, and their
marriage to Dharma and others. The progeny of Dharma and
Adharma. The perpetual succession of worlds, and different
modes of mundane dissolution.

CHAPTER VIIL

Origin of Rudra: his becoming eight Rudras: their ■wives and
children. The posterity of Bhfigu. Account of in con¬
junction with Vishnu. (Sacrifice of Daksha.)

CONTENTS.

CXXI

CHAPTEE IX.

Legend of Lakslimi. Durvasas gives a garland to Indra: be treats
it disrespectfully, and is cursed by the Muni. The power of
the gods impaired: they are oppressed by the Danavas, and
have recourse to Yishnu. The churning of the ocean. Praises
of Sri.

CHAPTER X.

The descendants of the daughters of Dahsha married to the !Eishis*
CHAPTEE XI.

Legend of Dhruva, the son of Uttanapada: he is unkindly treated
by his father’s second wife: applies to his mother: her advice:
he resolves to engage in religious exercises: sees the seven
l&ishis, who recommend him to propitiate Yishnu.

CHAPTER Xn.

Dhruva commences a course of religious austerities. Unsuccessful
attempts of Indra and his ministers to distract Dhruva’s atten¬
tion: they appeal to Yishnu, who allays their fears, and appears
to Dhruva. Dhruva praises Yishnu, and is raised to the skies,
as the pole-star.

CHAPTEE XIH.

Posterity of Dhruva. Legend of Yena: his impiety; he is put to *
death by the ilishis. Anarchy ensues. The production of
Nishada and Pfithu; the latter the first king. The origin of
of Suta and Magadha: they enumerate the duties of kings.
Pfithu compels Earth to acknowledge his authority: he levels
it; introduces cultivation; erects cities. Earth called, after him,
PHthivi: typified as a cow.

CHAPTER XIY.

Descendants of Pfithu. Legend of the Prachetasas: they are de¬
sired, by their father, to multiply mankind, by worshipping
Yishnu; they plunge into the sea, and meditate on and praise
him; he appears, and grants their wishes.

rxxii

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XV.

The world ovi’rruii with trees: they are destroyed by fhe Prache-
lasas. Soma pacilies them, aud gives them Marisha to wife:
her story: the daughter of the nymph Pramlocha. Legend
of Kahdu. Marisha’s former history. Daksha the sou of the
Prachctasas: his diiiercnt characters: his sons: his daughters:
their marriages and progeny: allusion to Prahlada, his descendant.

CHAPTER XVI.

Inquiries of Maitreya respecting the history of Prahlada.

CHAPTER XVIL

Legend of Prahlada. Hivanyakasipu the sovereign of the universe:
the gods dispersed, or in servitude to him: Prahlada, his sou,
remains devoted to Vishilu: questioned by his father, he praises
Vishnu: Hiranyakasipu orders him to be put to death, but in
vain: his repeated deliverance; he teaches his companions to
adore Vishiiu.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Hiraiiyakasipu’s reiterated attempts to desti‘oy his son: their being
always frustrated.

CHAPTER XIX.

Dialogue between Prahlada and his father: he is cast from the
top of the palace unhurt; baffles the incantations of Sambara:
he is throwm, fettered, into the sea: he praises Vishnu.

CHAPTER XX.

Vishiiu appears to Prahlada. Hiranyakasipu relents, aud is re¬
conciled to his son: he is put to death by Vishiiu as the Nfi-
siniha. Prahlada becomes king of the Daityas: his posterity;
fruit of hearing his story,

CHAPTER XXI.

Families of the Daityas. Descendants, of XaiSyapa by Danu.
Children of Kasyapa by his other wives. Birth of the Marutas,
the sons of Diti,

CONTENTS,

cxxiir

CHAPTEK XXIT.

Domimon over different provinces of creation assigned to differoiit
beings. Universality of Visbnu. Four viiriotics of spiritual
contemplation. Two conditions of spirit. The i)erceptiMc
attributes of Vishiiu types of his imperceptible properties.
Vishnu everything. Merit of hearing the first book of the
Vishnu Furaha.

BOOK n.

CHAPTER I.

Descendants of Priyavrata, the eldest son of Swayaihbluiva Maim:
his ten sous: three adopt a religions life; the others be<‘onu‘
kings of the seven Dwipas or isles of the earth. Agmdhru,
king of Janibu-dwipa, divides it into nine portions, which he
distributes amongst his sons, Nahhi, king of the south, suc¬
ceeded by Rishabha, and he, by Bharata: India named, after
him, Bharata: his descendants reign during the Sw'ayambhuva
Manwantara.

CHAPTER II.

Description of the earth. The seven Dwipas and seven seas.
Jambu-dwipa. Mount Mem: its extent and boundaries. Extent
of Ilavfita. Groves, lakes, and branches of Meru. Cities of the
gods. Rivers. The forms of Vishiiu 'worshipped in different
Varshas.

CHAPTER III.

Description of Bhdrata-varsha; extent: chief mountains: nine
divisions: principal rivers and mountains of Bharata proper:
principal nations: superiority over other Varshas, especially
as the seat of religious acts. (Topographical lists.)

CHAPTER IV.

Account of kings, divisions, mountains, rivers, and inhabitants of
the other Dwipas, viz., Plaksha,dalmala,Kusa, Krauncha, li^aka,

CXXIV

CONTENTS.

andPushkara: of tbe oceans separating them: of the tides: of
the confines of the earth: the Lokaloka mountain. Extent of
the whole.

CHAPTER V.

Of the seven regions of Patala, below the earth. Narada’s praises
of Pdtala. Account of the serpent Sesha. First teacher of
astronomy and astrology.

CHAPTER VI.

Of the different hells, or divisions of Naraka, below Pdtala: the
crimes punished in them, respectively: efficacy of expiation:
meditation on Vishnu the most effective expiation.

CHAPTER VII.

Extent and situation of the seven spheres, viz. earth, sky, planets,
Mahar-loka, Jana-loka, Tapo-loka, and Satya-loka. Of the
egg of Brahma, and its elementary envelopes. Of the influence
of the energy of Vishnu.

CHAPTER Vra.

Description of the sun: his chariot; its two axles: his horses.
The cities of the regents of the cardinal points. The sun’s
course: nature of his rays: his path along the ecliptic. Length
of day and night. Divisions of time: equinoxes and solstices,
months, years, the cyclical Tuga or age of five years. Northern
and southern declinations. Saints on the Lokdloka mountain.
Celestial paths of the Pitris, gods, Vishnu. Origin of Ganga,
and separation, on the top of Mem, into four great rivers.

CHAPTER rx.

Planetary system, under the type of a Sisumara or porpoise. The
earth nourished by the sun. Of rain whilst the sun shines.
Of rain from clouds. Rain the support of vegetation, and,
thence, of animal life, Narayana the support of all beings.

CONTENTS.

CXXV

CHAPTER X.

Names of the twelve Adityas. Names of the liishis, Gandharvas,
Apsarasas, Yakshas, Uragas, aud Rakshasas, who attend the
chariot of the sun in each month of the year. Their respective
functions.

CHAPTER XL

The sun distinct from, and supreme over, the attendants on his
car: identical with the three Vedas aud with Vishnu: Lis
functions.

CHAPTER XII.

Description of the moon: his chariot, horses, and courae: fed by
the sun; drained, periodically, of ambrosia by the progenitors
and gods. The chariots aud horses of the planets: kept in
their orbits by aerial chains attached to Dhruva, Typical
members of the planetary porpoise. Vasudeva alone real.

CHAPTER XIII.

Legend of Bharata* Bharata abdicates his throne and becomes
an ascetic; cherishes a fawn, and becomes so much attadied
to it, as to neglect his devotions: he dies: his successive births:
works in the fields, and is pressed, as a palankin-hearer, for
the Raja of Sauvira: rebuked for his awkwardness: his reply:
dialogue between him and the king.

CHAPTER XIV.

’ Dialogue continued. Bharata expounds the nature of existence,
the end of life, and the identification of individual with uni¬
versal spirit.

CHAPTER XV.

Bharata relates the story of fobhu and NidiSgba. The latter, the
pupil of the former, becomes a prince, and is visited by his
preceptor, who explains to him the principles of unity, aud
depails.

< xxvr

C^»^TENTS.

CHAPTER XVL

liiMiU n I urns to hi?* disciplo, and [)c*i*f<‘c({5 liim in tlinne kiiowloilgo.
Tin* .saiin* r*‘<‘oii)iii«*iuliMl to the Raja, by Rliarala, who, thoro-
iilMiii.oIilain^fiualliberation. C<)UAt*(jiu*ncosoi1ieariugthisli‘goiKl.

BOOK m.

CHAPTER I.

oi'the* ‘sowral Manus and Manwaiitanis. Swaroohisha
tin- M**‘(»ml Manu: the divinities, the Iiidra, the seven Risliis,
ol'iii'' luriod. and Ida sous. Similar details of Auttaud, Taniasa.
fRiivata. Chakshushu, and Vaivaswatu. The forms of Yishiiu,
as the preserver, in each Maiiwtuitara. ’ Tlic meaning of Yishnu.

CHAPTER TI.

\ »f the M*veii lulure Manus and Mauwantaras. Stuiy of Sanjna and
Chliii^a, wives of tho sun. Savarni, son ofChluiya, the eighth
Maim. Ills succi*sisors, with the divinities, &c. of their resjiec-
the pi riods. Appearance of Yishnu in each of the four Yugas.

CHAPTER m.

Division of the Yeda into four portions, by a Vyiisa, in every
Dwapara age. List of the twenty-eight Yyasas of the present
Nfanw’autara. Meaning of the word Brahma.

CHAPTER IV.

Division of the Yeda, in the last Dwapara age, by the Yyasa
Krishna Dwaipilyaiia. Paila made reader of the foch; Vaisam-
payana, »)f die T"ajus; Jaimini, of the Saman; and Snmantu,
of tho Atharvau. Siita appointed to teach the historical poems,
t h’igin of the four parts of the Veda. Samhitas of the Rig-veda.

CHAPTER V.

Divisions of the Yfyuv-veda. Story of Yajnavalkya: forced to
give up what he has learned: picked up by others, forming
the Taittinya-yajus, Yajnavalkya worships the sun, who
communicates to him the Yajasauep-yajus.

/<JONTENTS.

CXXVIt

CHAPTER VI.

Divisions of the Saina-veda; of the Atharva-vcda. Four Pauraiiik
Siuhhitas. Names of the eighteen Puninas. Branches ol* know¬
ledge. Classes of Rishis.

CHAPTER VIT.

By what means men are exempted from the authority of Tama,
as narrated hy Bhishma to Nakula. Dialogue l)t‘twoen Tama
and one of his attendants. Worshippoi's of Vishiiu not subject
to Yama. How they are to be known.

CHAPTER VIII.

How Vishnu is to be worshipped, as related ])y Aurva to Sagara.
Duties of the four castes, severally and in coinnion: also in
time of distress.

CHAPTER IX.

Duties of the religious student, lionseholdor, hermit^ and mendicant.

CHAPTER X.

Ceremonies to be observed at the birth and naming of a child.
Of marrying, or leading a religious life. Choice of a wife.
Different modes of marrying.

CHAPTER XI.

Of the Sadacharas or perpetual obligations of a householder’.
Daily purifications, ablutions, libations, and oblations: hospi¬
tality: obsequial I'ites: ceremonies to be observed at meals, at
morning and evening woi*ship, and on going to rest.

CHAPTER XII.

Miscellaneous obligations, purificatory, ceremonial, and moral.

CHAPTER Xni.

Of Sraddbas or rites in honour of ancestors, to he performed on
occasions of rejoicing. Obsequial ceremonies. Of ihv Ekod-
disbfa or monthly Sriddha, and the Sapiiitlana or annual one.
By whom to be performed.

cxxx

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER Vn.

Sons of Purumvas. Dcsci^ulaiitf? of Arailvasu. ludra bom as
Gildhi, Legend of RicUika and Satj’a\ati. Birth of Jainadagni
mid Vi.swmnitm. Parasui’ania the son of the former. (Legend
of Para&uriimaO Suiialisepha and others, the sons of Yiswa-
mitra, forming the Kaasika race.

CHAPTER VHI.

Sons of Ay us. Line of Kshatravfiddlia, or kings of Kasi. Former
birth of Dliain\ autari. Various names of Pratardana. Great¬
ness of Alarka.

CHAPTER IX.

Descendants of Raji, son of Ayus: Indra resigns Ins throne to
him: claimed, after his death, by his sons, who apostatize from
the religion of the Vedas, and are destroyed by Indra. Deseeiid-
auts of Pratikshatra, son of Kshalravfiddha.

CHAPTER X.

The sous of Xahusha. The sons of Yayati: he is cursed by Sukra:
wishes Lis sons to exchange their vigour for bis infirmities.
Puru alone consents. Yayati restores him his yonth: divides
the earth amongst his sons, under the supremacy of Piiru.

CHAPTER XI.

The Yttdava race, or descendants of Yadu. Kdrttavirya obtains
a boon from Batlatreya: takes Ravaiia prisoner; is killed by
Parasuruma; Ids descendants.

CHAPTER Xll.

Descend^ts of Kroshtri. Jydmagha’s connubial affection for his
wife Saivyd.: their descendants kings of Vidarbha and Chedi.

CHAPTER Xin.

Sons of Sattwata. Bhoja princes of Mfittikdvatf. Sdrya the friend
of Satnijit; appears to him in a bodily form: gives him the
Syamantaka gem: its brilliance and marvellous properties.

CONTENTS.

CXXXI

Satrajit gives it to Prasena, who is killed hy a lion; the lion
killed by the bear Jambavat, Knshna, suspected of killing
Prasena, goes to look for him in the forests; traces the bear
to his cave: fights with him for the jewel: the contest pro¬
longed: supposed,by his companions, to be slain; he overthrows
Jambavat and marries his daughter Jambavati: returns, with
her and the jewel, to Dwaraka: restores the jewel to Satrajit
and marries his daughter Satyabhama. Satriijit murdered by
^atadhanwan; avenged by Krishna. Quarrel between Kfishiia
and Balarama. Akriira possessed of the jewel; leaves Dwaraka.
Public calamities. Meeting of the Yadavas, Story of Akrura’s
birth: he is invited to return: accused, by Kfishna, of having
the Syamantaka jewel: produces it in full assembly; it remains
in his charge: Krishna acquitted of having purloined it,

CHAPTEE XIV,

Descendants of Sini, of Anamitra, of Swaphalka and Chitraka, of
Andhaka. The children of Devaka and XTgrasena. The des¬
cendants of Bhajamana. Children of Sura; his son Vasudeva:
his daughter Pritha married to Pdndu: her children, Yudhish-
thira and his brothers; also Karna, by Aditya. The sons of
Pdniiu by Madri. Husbands and children of jura’s other
daughters. Previous births *of fesupala.

CHAPTER XY. •

Explanation of the reason why ^isupdla, in his previous births
as Hiranyakaiipu and Earana, was not identified with Vishnu,
on being slain by him, and was so identified, when killed as
Sisupala. The wives of Vasudeva; his children; Balardma
and Kfishna his sons by Devakf; bom, apparently, of Rohim
and Yaiodd. The wives and children of EIKshna. Multitude of
the descendants of Yadu.

CHAPTER XVI.

Descendants of Turvasu,

CHAPTER XVII,

Descendants of Druhyu.

cxxxn

CONTEXTS.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Dosceiitliuiis of Aiiu. Countries and towns named after some of
lliem, as ilnga, Banga, and others.

CHAPTER XIX.

Descendants of Piirii. Birtli of Bharata, the son of Dushyanta:
his sons killed: adopts Bharadwiija or Vitatha. Hastin, founder
of Hastinapura. Sons of Ajanu<iha, and the races derived from
them, as Panchdlas, die. Kf’ipa and Kfipi found by Santanu.
Descendants of foksha, the son of Ajamidha. Kurukslietra
named from Kuru. Jarasandha and others, kings of Magadha.

CHAPTER XX.

Descendants of Emm. Devapi abdicates the throne: assumed by
t^antanu: he is confirmed by the Brahmans: Bhishma his son
by Ganga: his other sons. Bii*th of Dhfitarashfra, Paiidu,
and Vidura. Tlie hundred sons of Dhfitarashtra. The five
sons of Pttiidu: maiTied to Draupadi: their posterity. Pari-
kshit, the grandson of Arjuna, the reigning king.

CHAPTER XXI.

Future kings. Descendants of Parikshit, ending with Kshemaka.

CHAPTER XXH.

Future kings of the family of Ikshwaku, ending with Sumitra.

CHAPTER XXni.

Future kings of Magadha, descendants of Bfihadratha.

CHAPTER XXIV.

Future kings of Magadha, Five princes of the line of Pradyota.
Ten iSaiaunagas. Nine Nandas. Ten Mauryas. Ten ^ungas.
Four Kanwas. Thirty Andhrabhrityas. Kings of various tribes
and castes, and periods of their rule. Ascendancy of barbarians.
Different races in different regions. Period of universal iniquity
and decay. Coming of Vishiiu as Kalki. Destruction of the
wicked/ and restoration of the practices of the Vedas. End

COJSfTENTS,

cxxxm

of the Kali 5 and return of the Kfita, age. Duration of the
Kali. Verses chanted by Earth, and communiciitod by Asita
to Janaka. End of the fourth book.

BOOK V.

CHAPTER 1.

The death of Karhsa announced. Eaith, oppressed by the Daityas,
applies to the gods. They accompany her to Vishnu, who
promises to give her relief. Kanisa imprisons Vasudeva and
Devaki. Vishhu’s instructions to Yoganidni.

CHAPTER H.

The conception of Devaki: her appearance: she is praised by
the gods.

CHAPTER m.

Birth of Krishna: conveyed by Vasudeva to Mathura, .'Uid ex¬
changed with the new-born daughter of Yasoda. Kaihsa
attempts to destroy the latter, who becomes Yoganidru.

CHAPTER IV.

Kauisa addresses his friends, announces their danger, and orders
male children to be put to death.

CHAPTER' V.

Nanda returns, with the infants Krishna and Balarama, to Gokula.
Putana killed by the former. Prayers of Nanda and Yasoda.

CHAPTER VI.

Krishna overturns a waggon: casts down two trees- The Gopas
depart to Vfinddvana. Sports of the boys. Description of the
season of the rains.

CHAPTER Vir.

Kfishda combats the serpentElaliya: alarm of his parents and com¬
panions: he overcomes the serpent, and is propitiated by him:
commands him to depart from the Yamuna river to the ocean.

cxxxrv

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER YHI.

'The (lemon I)lieuuk«a desti'oyed by Rama.

CHAPTER IX.

Sports of the boys in the forest. Pralamba the Asura comes
amongst them: is destroyed by Rama, at the command of
Krishna.

CHAPTER X.

Description of autumn. Krishna dissuades Nanda from worship¬
ping Indra: recommends him and the Gopas to worship cattle
and the mountains.

CHAPTER XL

Iiidra, odended by the loss of his offerings, causes heavy rains
to deluge Gokula. Krishna holds up the mountain Govardhana,
to shelter the cowherds and their cattle.

CHAPTER XII.

Indra conies to Gokula: praises Kfishha, and makes him prince
over tho cattle. Kfishha promises to befriend Arjuna.

CHAPTER XIII.

Krishna praised by the cowherds: his sports with the Gopis;
their imitation and love of him. The Rasa dance.

CHAPTER XIV.

Krishna kills the demon Ariahfa, in the form of a bull.

CHAPTER XV.

Kamsa informed by Nhrada of the existence of Krishna and
Balarama: he sends Kesin to destroy them, and Akrura, to
bring them to Mathura,

CHAPTER XVI.

Kesin, in the form of a horse, slain by Kfishha; he is praised
by Nhrada,

CONTENTS.

CXXXV

CHAPTER Xm.

Akriira’s meditation on Krishna: his arrival at Gokula: his delight
at seeing Kfishiia and his brother.

CHAPTER XYIIL

Grief of the Gopis on the departure of Kfishiia and Balanima
•with Akrura: their leaving Gokula. Akrura bathes in the
Yamuna; beholds the divine forms of the two youths, and
praises Yishiiu.

CHAPTER XIX.

Akrura conveys Krishna and Rama near to MathuiA, and leaves
them: they enter the town. Insolence of Kamsa’s washerman;
Krishna kills him. Civility of a flower-seller: Krishna gives
him his benediction.

CHAPTER XX

Krishna and Balarama meet Kubja; she is made straight by the
former; Ibey proceed to the palace. Krishna breaks a bow
intended for a trial of arms. Kamsa’s orders to his servants.
Public games. Krishna and his brother enter the arena; tlie
former wrestles with Chanura, the latter, with Mushiika, the
king’s wrestlers; who ai‘e both killed, Krishna attacks and
slays Kamsa: he and Balarama do homage to Yasudeva and
Devaki; the former praises Krishna.

CHAPTER XXI.

Kfishiia encourages his parents; places Ugrasena on the throne;
becomes the pupil of Sdndfpani, whose son he recovers from
the sea: he kills the marine demon Panchajana, and makes a
horn of his shell.

CHAPTER XXir.

Jarasandha besieges Malhurd; is defeated, but repeatedly renews
the attack*

CXXXVIU

CONTENTS.

lilioraliou: it refused: in hi« wrath, he drags the city towards
him. to throw it into the river. The Kuru chiefs give up
Sam]>a and bis wife.

CHAPTER XXXYl.

Tli*^ Asiira P\\ivida. in the form of au ape, destroyed by Balarama.
CHAPTER XXXVII.

Destruction of the Yadaviis. Samba and others deceive and ridi¬
cule the Rishis. The former bears an iron pestle: it is broken,
and thrown into the sea. The Yadavas go to Prabhasa, by
desire of Krishna: they quarrel and fight, and all perish. The
great serpent Seslia issuovs from the mouth of Rama. Knshna
i> shot by a Imnter. and again becomes one with universal
spirit.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

Arjuna comes to Dwiiraka. and burns the dead, and takes away
the surviving inhabitants. Commencement of tbe Kali age.
Shepherds and thieves attack Arjuna, and carry off the women
and -wealth. Arjuna regrets the loss of his prowess to Vyasa;
who consoles him, and tells him the story of Ashfavakra’s
cursing the Apsarasas. Arjuna and his brothers place Pari-
kshit on the throne, and go to the forests. End of the fifth
book.

BOOK VL

CHAPTER I.

Of the dissolution of tbe world: the four ages; the decline of all
things, aud deterioration of mankind, in tbe Kali age.

CHAPTER 11.

Redeeming properties of the Kali age. Devotion to Vishnu suf¬
ficient to salvation, in that age, for all castes and persons.

CONTENTS.

oxxxnc

CHAPTER nr.

Three different kinds of dissolution. Duration of a Parardha.
The clepsydra or vessel for measuring time. The dissolution
that occurs at the end of a day of Brahma.

CHAPTER IV.

Continuation of the account of the first kind of dissolution. Of
the second kind, or elemental dissolution 5 of all being resolved
into primar}^ spirit.

CHAPTER V.

The third kind of dissolution, or final liberation from existence.
Evils of worldly life. Sufferings in infancy, manhood, old age.
Pains of hell. Impei*fect felicity of heaven. Exemption from
birth desirable by the wise. The nature of spirit or god.
Meaning of the terms Bhagavat and Vasudeva.

CHAPTER VI.

Means of attaining liberation. Anecdotes of Kh^dikya and
Kesidhwaja. The former instructs the latter how to atone for
permitting the death of a cow. Kesidhwaja offers him a re¬
quital, and he desires to be instructed in spiritual knowledge.

CHAPTER VIL

Kesidhwaja describes the nature of ignorance, and the benefits
of the Yoga or contemplative devotion. Of the novice and
the adept in the performance of the Yoga. How it is per¬
formed. The first stage, proficiency in acts of restraint and
moral duty: the second, particular mode of sitting: the third,
PrAudydma. modes of breathing: the fourth, Pratyahara, res¬
traint of thought: the fifth, apprehension of spirit: the sixth,
retention of the idea. Meditation on the individual and uni¬
versal forms of Vishiliu. Acquirement of knowledge. Final
liberation.

CXL

CONTENTS.

CHAPTEK Vm.

Conclasion of the dialogue between Paraiara and Maitreya. Be*
capitulation of the contents of the VishAu Purana; merit of
hearing it: how handed down. Praises of Vishnu. Conclu¬
ding prayer.

VISHI^U PURA]^A.

BOOK I.

CHAPTER L

Invocation. Maitreya inquires of his teacher, Parasara, the
origin and nature of the universe. Parasai'a performs a rite
to destroy the demons: reproved by Vusishtha, he desists:
Pulastya appears, and bestows upon him divine knowledge:
he repeats the Vishnu Puraiia. Vishnu the origin, existence,
and end of all things.

Om! GLORY TO Vasodeva.*—V ictory be to tbee,
Puiidarlk^iksba; adoration be to tbee, Viswabb4vana;«*

‘ I ^ I An address of this kind, to one

or other Hindu divinity, usually introduces Sanskrit compositions,
especially those considered sacred. The first term of this Mantra
or brief prayer, Om or Omkara, is well known as a combination
of letters invested by Hindu mysticism with peculiar sanclily.
In the Vedas, it is said to comprehend all the gods; aiul, in the
Puranas, it is directed to be prefixed to all such formula as
that of the text. Thus, in the Uttai’a Kharida" of the Padma
Parana: ^The syllable Om, the mysterious name, or Brahma, is
the leader of all prayers: let it, therefore, O lovely - faced,
(6iva addresses Durga,) be employed in the beginning of all
prayers ’:

^ ^ ii

* Chapter XXXII.
L

1

2 VISHNU PUHANA.

glory be to thee, Hrishfkesa, Mahapuriisha and Piir-
vaja. ^

According to the same authority, one of the mystical imports of
the term is the collective enunciation of Vishiiu, expressed by a ;
of 6n, his bride, intimated ])y u; and of their joint worshipper,
designated by w. A whole chapter of the Vayu Puraiia is de¬
voted to this term. A text of the Vedas is there cited:

WW I ‘Om, the monosyllable Brahma’; the latter
moaning either the supreme being, or the Vedas collectively, of
which this monosyllable is the type. It is also said to typify
the three spheres of the world, tlie three holy fires, the three
steps of Vishnu, &c.:

I'-

Frequent meditation npon it and repetition of it ensure release
from worldly existence:

^ ^jrT!rf7t ^ ii

W ii

See, also, Manu, II., 76. Vdsudeva, a name of Vishiiu or Krishna,
is, according to its grammatical etymology, a patronymic deri¬
vative implying son of Vasudeva. The Vaishiiava Puraiias,
however,, devise other explanations. See the next chapter, and,
again, b. VI., c. 5.

^ ^ In this stanza occurs a series of the appellations of Vishiiu:

L Pundarikakslia having eyes like a lotos, or

heart-pervading: or Pundarika is explained supreme glory, and
Aksha, imperishable. The first is the most usual etymon. 2. Vi-
swabhavana «fn), the creator of the universe, or the

cause of the existence of all things. 3. Hrishikesa

• This verse is also found in the Markandeya-purMa, XLIL, 8; p, 241 of
the edition in the Bibliotheca Indica,

BOOK I., CHAP. r.

3

May that Vishhu, who is the existent, imperishable
Brahma; who istswai’a;^ who is spiiit;® who, with the
three qualities,® is the cause of creation, preseiwatiou,
and desti’uction; who is the pai*ent of nature, intellect,

lord of the senses. 4. Mahapurusha great oi- su-

preme spirit; Purusha meaning that which abides or is quiescent
in body (puri sete), 5. Piirvaja ( produced or appearing

before creation; the Orphic iiQiocoyo^^oQ. In the fifth hook,
c. 18, Vishnu is described by five appellations which are con¬
sidered analogous to these; or: 1. Bhulatuian "svilh

created things, or Pundarikaksha; 2. Pradhaniitniaii (inSTT^rrSPO?
one with cnidc nature, or Viswabhavana; 3. Indriyatman (Tf^-
one witli the senses, or Hfishikesa; 4. Paramatman (tT^-
, supreme spirit, or Mahapurusha; and Atman
soul, living soul, animating nature and existing before it, or
Piirvaja.

’ Brahma , in the neuter form, is abstract supreme

spirit; and Iswara (tVT) is the deity in his active nature,
lie who is able to do or leave undone, or to do anything in any
other manner that that in which it is done:

i

* Puiiis which is the same with Purusha, incor¬

porated spirit By this, and the two preceding terms, also, the
commentator understands the text to signify, that VishnuJs any
form of spiritual being that is acknowledged by different philo¬
sophical systems; or that he is the Brahma of the Veddnta,
the Iswara of the Patanjala, and the Purusha of the Sankhya,
school.

® The three qualities, to which we shall have farther occasion
to advert, are: Sattwa goodness or purity, knowledge,

* In the Mahdhhdrata, Udyogorparvm, 2564 and 2667, Pundarikaksha
and Hfishikej^a are explained to a very different purport. The stanzas
are quoted and translated in klnir's Of^inol SoMlnfit Part IV.,

pp. 182 and 183.

1

4

VISHNU PURANA.

and tlie otlier ingredients of the universe;^ be to ns
the bestower of understanding, wealth, and final
emancipation.

Having adored Vishnu,® the lord of all, and paid

quiescence; Rajas foulness, passion, activity; and Tanias

darkness, ignorance, inertia.'"

* Pradliiiiiabuddhyadijagatprapanchasuli ^

This predicate of the deity distinguishes most of tho
Puraiias from several of the philosophical systems, which main¬
tain, as did the earliest Grecian systems of cosmogony, the
eternal and independent existence of the first principle of things,
as nature, matter, or chaos. Accordingly, the commentator no¬
tices the objection. Pradhana being without beginning, it is
said, How can Vishiiu be its parent? To which he replies, that
this is not so; for, in a penod of worldly destruction (Pralaya),
when the creator desists from creating, nothing is generated by
virtue of any other energy or parent. Or, if this be not satis¬
factory', then the text may be understood to imply that intellect
(Buddhi), &c., are formed through the materiality of crude nature
or Pradhana.

^ ^ Vishnu is commonly derived, in the Puraiias, from the root
Vis (f^), to enter; entering into or pervading the universe:
agreeably to the text of the Vedas: jURlJjrd I

‘Having created that (world), he then afterwards enters into it;’
being, as our comment observes, undistinguished by place, lime,
or property: I According to the

Matsya P., the name alludes to his entering into the mundane
egg: according to the Padma P., to his entering into, or combining
with, Prakfiti, as Purusha or spirit:

In the Moksha Dharnia of the Mababliarata, s. 165, the word is
derived from the root vi (*). signifying motion, pervasion,

See the editor’s second note in p. 2G, and note in p, 35, ir^ra.

BOOK r., CHAP. I.

5

revej^ence to Brahma and the restjMiaving also saluted
the spiritual preceptor; -1 will narrate a Puraiia equal
in sanctity to the Vedas.

production, radiance; or, irregularly, from krani (ifPR;), to go,
with the particle vi (t%)i implying variously, prefixed.

^ Brahma and the rest is said to apply to the series of
teachers through whom this Punina was transmitted from its
first reputed author, Brahma, to its actual narrator, the sage
Parasara. See, also, b. VI., c. 8.

^ The Guru or spiritual preceptor is said to be Kapila or
Saraswata. The latter is included in the series of teachers of
the Parana. Parasara must be considered also as a disciple of
Kapila, as a teacher of the Sankhya philosophy.

* There seems to be a misunderstanding, here, on the part of the
tianslator; for, in the passage of the Malidbhdraia referred to by him,—
which can be no other than the Adnti^parvan, Ilokstha-dkarma, 13170
and 13171—ria/iz/tf is taken to be derived, with the affix 'J, from
“to shine” and also “to move”. That passage is subjoined;

ii

Aijuna Mi^ra, commenting on these verses, derives the word from
in the acceptation of “to go”. He seems to admit this verb likewise in
the Vaidik sense of “to eat.” But the latter view is not borne out by
the text. His words are*. I I f%f^-

TBPt: I %5r I i ^ i

In the NighaMu, IL, 8, oocnrs as a synonym of

Gangadhara, in his metrical gloss on the thousand names of Vishnu,
expresses himself as follows, touching the six hundred and fifty-seventh
of them:

-sfiTfifm VT I

^ ^ tf It

ff ^ V wi->

fi

VISHNU I'l RANA.

Maitreya,‘ having saluted him reverentially, thus
addressed Piu'asara,—the excellent sage, the grandson
of Vasishtha,*—who was versed in traditional history
and the Purauas; who was acquainted with the Vedas
and the branches of science dependent upon them,
and skilled in law and philosophy ;t and who had
performed the morning rites of devotion.

Maitreya said: Master! I have been insti’ucted, by
you, in the whole of the Vedas, and in the institutes
of law and of sacred science. Through your favour,
otlier men, even though they be my foes, cannot ac¬
cuse me of having been remiss in the acquirement of
knowledge. I am now desirous, 0 thou who art pro¬
found in piety, to hear from thee how this world was,
and how in future it will beV what is its substance, 0
Brahman; and whence pi'oceeded animate and inani¬
mate things? into what has it been resolved; and into
what will its dissolution again occiu*? how were the
elements manitestedV whence proceeded the gods and
other beings? what are the situation and extent of
the oceans and the mountains, the earth, the sun, and
the planets? what are the families of the gods and

' * Moitreja is the disciple of Pantiiara, who relates the Vishnu

Puriiua to him. Ho is also one of the chief interlocutors in the
Biuigavuta, and is introduced, in the Mahabharata (Yana Parvan,
8.10), as a great ctishi or sage, who denounces Dntyodhana’s
death. In the Bhagavata, he is also termed Kaufeavi, or the
son of Kusarava.

• liteally, ‘‘Vasishtla’s son’s son”. Pari4ara’s father, as the com¬
mentator reuuiiks, was ^ahtii.! See my second note in p. 8, t/pVo.

f- “And philosophy” is the commentator’s definition of the original,
ddi, “and the rest”.

BOOK I., CHAP. 1.

7

others, the Mauus, the peiiocls called Manwantaras,
those termed Ka]j)as, and their subdivisions, and the
four ages: the events that happen at the close of a
Kalpa, and the terminations of the several ages:' the
histories, 0 gi*eat Muni, of the gods, the sages, and
kings; and how the Vedas were divided into branches
(or schools), after they had been aiTanged by Vyasa:*
the duties of the Brahmans and the otlier tribes, as
well as of those who pass through the different order’s
of lifeV All these things I wish to hear from you,
grandson of Vasishtha. f Incline thy thoughts bene¬
volently towai’ds me, that I may, through thy favour,
be informed of aU I desire to know.

Parisara replied: Well inquired, pious Maitreya.
You recall to my recollection that which was of old
narrated by my father’s father, Vasishtha. I had heard
that my father had been devoured by a E^shasa em¬
ployed by Viswiimitra. Violent anger seized me; and
I commenced a sacrifice for tlie destruction of the
R^kshasas. Hundi’eds of them were reduced to ashes
by the rite; when, as they were about to be entirely
extirpated, my grandfather Vasishfha thus spake to
me: Enough, my child; let thy wrath be appeased:
the Eakshasas are not culpable: thy fathei’’s death was
the work of destiny. Anger is the passion of fools; it"
becometh not a wise man. By whom, it may be asked.

* One copy reads Yugadharma, the duties peculiar to the
fonr ages, or their characteristic properties, instead of Yugduta.

* Yydisa-lcartl-ika, has, rather, the signification of “composed by

f To tho letter, “son of Vdsislilflia”, whose

father was Yasishfha.

8

VISHKU PURANA,

is any one killed? Eveiy xnaii reaps the consequences
of his own acts. Anger, my son, is the destruction of
all that man obtains, by arduous exertions, of fame
and of devout austerities, and prevents the attainment
of heaven or of emancipation. The chief sages always
shun wi'ath: be not thou, my child, subject to its in¬
fluence. Let no more of these unoffending spirits of
darkness be consumed.* Mercy is the might of the
righteous. ^

^ * Sacrifice of Pardsara. The story of Parasara’s birth is
narrated in detail in the Mahabharata (Adi Parvan, s. 176). King
Kalmdshapada, meeting with Sakti, the son of Vasishflia, in a
narrow path in a thicket, desired him to stand out of his way.
The sage refused; on which Ibe Raja beat him with his whip;
and Sakti cui‘sed him to become a Rdkshasa, a man-devouring
spirit. The Raja, in this transformation, killed and ate its
author, or Sakti, together with all the other sons of Vasishtha.
Sakti left his wife, Adfisyanti, pregnant; and she gave birth to
Pai’dsara, who was brought up by his grandfather. When he
grew up, and was informed of his father’s death, he instituted a
sacrifice for the destruction of all the Raksbasas, but was dis¬
suaded from its completion by Yasishiha and other sages, or
Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, and Eratu. The Mahdbhdrata adds, that,
when he desisted from the rite, he scattered the remaining sacri¬
ficial fire upon the northern face of the Himalaya mountain,
where it still blazes forth, at the phases of the moon, consuming
Rakshasas, forests, and mountains. The legend alludes, pos¬
sibly, to some trans-himalayan volcano. The transformation of
Kalmashapada is ascribed, in other places, to a different cause;
but he is everywhere regarded as the devourer of ^aktif or
^aktri, as the name also occurs. The story is told in the Linga

* Supply: “Let this thy sacrifice cease ”s

f This is hardly the name of a male. The right word seems to be
Saktri.

BOOK I., CHAP. r.

9

Being thus admonished by my venerable gi'andsii’e,

I immediately desisted from the rite, in obedience to
his injunctions; and Vasish^ha, the most excellent of
sages, was content with me. Then ai'rived Pulaslya, ^

Parana (Purvardha, s, 64) in the same manner, with the addition,
conformably to the Saiva tendency of that work, that Parasara
begins his sacrifice by propitiating Mahddeva. Vasishfha's dis¬
suasion and Pulastya’s appearance are given in the very words
of our text; and the story concludes: ‘Thus, through the favour
of Pulastya and of the wise Vasish&a, Pardsara composed the
Vaishnava (Vishnu) Purdna, containing ten thousand stanzas, and
being the third of the Purdna compilations’ (Purana-samhita).*
The Bhagavata (b. III., s. 8) also alludes, though obscurely, to
this legend. In recapitulating the succession of the narrators of
part of the Bhdgavata, Maitreya states, that this first Parana was
communicated to him by his Guru, Parasara, as he had been
desired by Pulastya:

^ (tnararrO i

i. e., according to the commentator, agreeably to the boon given
by Pulastya to Pardsara, saying, ‘You shall be a narrator of
Purdnas’; t The Mahdbhdrata makes

no mention of the communication of this faculty to Parasara by
Pulastya; and, as the Bhdgavata could not derive this particular

ft «

The lithographed Bombay edition of the Linga^urMa gives the end of
this passage differently, so as to reduce the Visknu-purdtia to six thou¬
sand stanzas, and to reckon it as the fourth of the Purdnas:

tf 5^wiT«rt n

f An oversight of quotation, for See Goldstuckefs

PdAm, His Place Sanskrit IdteraturSi pp. 145 et seg.

10

VISHNU I’URiNA.

the son of Brahma/ who was received, by my grand¬
father, with the cnstomiuy marks of respect. The
illustrious brother* of Pulaha said to me: Since, in
the violence of animosity, you have listened to the
words of your progenitor, and have exercised clemency,
therefore you shall become learned in every science.
Since you have forborne, even though incensed, to
destroy my posterity, I will bestow upon you another
boon; and you shall become the author of a summaiy
of the Pur4iias. ® You shall know the true nature of
the deities, as it I’eally is;f and, whether engaged in

from that source, it here, most probably, refers, unavowedly, as
the Linga docs avowedly, to the Vishnu Parana.

^ ^ Pulastya, as will be presently seen, is one of the Rishis
who were the mind-born sons of Brahma. Pulaha, who is here
also named, is another. Pulastya is considered as the ancestor
of the Rakshasas; as he is the father of Visravas, the father of
Havana and his brethren. Uttara Ramayana. Mahabharata,
Yana Parvan, s. 272. Padma Pur. Linga Pur., s. 63.

You shall be a maker J of the Samhitd or compendium of the
Puraiias, or of the Vishnu Puraria, considered as a summary or
compendium of Pauranik traditions. In either sense, it is incom¬
patible with the general attribution of all the Puraiias to Vyasa.

* Read “elder brother’*, agraja,

t Rather, agreeably to the commentator; “You shall obtain in a proper
manner the highest object (krimble from a^ppr^iemion of deity”. This
is said to be “knowledge conducive to emancipation”. In the Sanskrit:

'trnw: i ^ i

The line under exposition is as follows;

X KartH is, however, elucidated, in the commentary, by vra/oartdkcu
“publisher” only.

BOOK I., CHAP, I.

n

religious rites, or abstaining from their peifonnance, ‘
your understanding, through my favour, shall be pei'-
fect, and exempt fi*om doubts. Then my gimidsire
Vasishiha added: Whatever has been said to thee by
Pulastya shall assuredly come to pass.

Now truly all that was told me formerly by Va-
sishtha, and by the wise Pulastya, has been bi’ought
to my recollection by your questions; and I will relate
to you the whole, even all you have asked. Listen to
the complete compendium of the Piirahas, accordmg
to its tenor. The world was pi*oduced from Vishhu:
it exists in him: he is the cause of its continuance and
cessation;* he is the world."

^ Whether performing the nsual ceremonies of the Brahmans,
or leading a life of devotion and penance, which supersedes the
necessity of rites and sacrifices.

® These are, in fact, the brief replies to Maitreya’s sixy
questions (p. 6), or: How was the world created? By Vishnu,
How will it be? At the periods of dissolution, it will be in
Vishnu. Whence proceeded animate and inanimate things? From
Vishnu. Of what is the substance of the world? Vishnu. Into
what has it been, and will it again be, resolved? Vishnu. He
is, therefore, both the instrumental and material cause of the
universe. ‘The answer to the “whence” replies to the query
as to the instrumental cause; “He is the world” replies to the
inquiry as to the material cause’;

^ explana¬

tion of the agency of the materiality, &c. of Vishnu, as regards
the universe, (it follows that) all will be produced from, and all
will repose in, him ’:

Wracfrfif I t We have

• Saiiiyama, See the editor’s first note in p. 26, infra,

f These two extracts are from the commentary on the Vwhiniryurdtia.
The first is a little abridged.

12

VISHNU PURANA.

here precisely the to nSv of the Orphic doctrines; and we might
fancy, that Briicker was translating a passage from a Parana,
when he describes them in these words: '^Continuisse Jovem
[lege Vishnum] sive summam deum in se omnia, omnibus ortum
ex se dedisse; et ** omnia ex se gennisse, et ex sua pro-
duxisso essentia; Spiritum esse universi, qui omnia regit, vivificat,
estqne #» Ex quibus necessario sequitur omnia in earn reditura.”
Hist. Philos., I., 388. Jamblichus and Proclus also testify that
the P}^agorean doctrines of the origin of the material world
from the Deity, and its identity with him, were much the same.
Cud worth, Intell. Syst., VoL L, p. 346.

CHAPTER n.

Prayer of Parasara to Vishnu. Successive narration of the Vishnu
Purina. Explanation of Vdsudeva; his existence before crea¬
tion: his first manifestations. Description of Pradhdna or the
chief principle of things. Cosmogony. Of Prakfita or ma¬
terial creation; of time; of the active cause. Development of
effects; Mahat; Aharhkara; Tanmatras; elements; objects of
sense; senses; of the mundane egg. Vishnu the same as
Bi’ahma the creator; Vishnu the preserver; Rudi'a the de¬
stroyer.

PAiti^AEA said: Glory to the unchangeable, holy,
etenial, supreme Vishhu, of one universal nature, the
mighty over all: to him who is Hirahyagarbha, Hari,
and Sankara, ^ the creator, the preserver, and destroyer

* The three hypostases of Vishnu. Hiranyagarbha

is a name of Brahmd; he v^ho was born from the golden
egg. Hari (^f^) is Vishnu; and Sankara 6iva. The

Vishnu who is the subject of our text is the supreme being in
all these three divinities or hypostases, in his different characters
^ of creator, preserver, and destroyer. ^Thus, in the Mirkandeya:*
‘Accordingly, as the primal all-pervading spirit is distinguished
by attributes in creation and the rest, so he obtains the denomi¬
nation of Brahma, Vishnu, and ^iva. In the capacity of Brahm^
he creates the worlds; in that of Rudra, he destroys them; in
that of Vishnu, he is quiescent. These are the three Avasthds ^
(lit., hypostases) of the self-bom. Brahma is the quality of ac¬
tivity; Rudra, that of darkness; Vishnu, the lord of the world,
is goodness. So, therefore, the three gods are the three qualities.

♦ XLTI., 16 et 8eq. The edition in the BibUotfieca Jndica gives several
discrepant readings.

14

viSHiJu purIna.

of the world; to Vasudeva, the liberator of his wor¬
shippers:* to him whose essence is both single and
manifold; who is both subtile and coi’poreaJ, indiscrete
and discrete: to Vishiiu, the cause of final eman¬
cipation.' Gloiy to the supreme Vishfiu, the cause

■^They are ever combined with, and dependent upon, one another;
and they are never for an instant separate; they never quit each
other'

W ^ ^5J7qf7T: I

II

The notion is one common to all antiquity, although less philo¬
sophically conceived, or, perhaps, less distinctly expressed, in the
passages which have come down to us. The tqsiq &Q%uag
vnaoxaoai^ of Plato are said, by Cudworth (L, 111 .))
authority of Plotinus, to be an ancient doctrine, naXaia do|of.
And he also observes: “For, since Orpheus, Pythagoras, and
Plato, who, all of them, asserted a trinity of divine hypostases,
unquestionably derived much of their doctrine from the Egyptians,
it may be reasonably suspected, that these Egyptians did the like
before them.” As, however, the Grecian accounts and those of
the Egyptians are much more perplexed and unsatisfactory than
those of the Hindus, it is most probable that we find amongst
them the doctrine in its most original, as well as most methodical
and significant, form.

^ * This address to Vishnu pursues the notion that he, as the
supremo being, is one, whilst he is all. He is Avikara, not sub-

The ^ords **of his vorshippers ** are supplied from the commentary.

BOOK I., CHAP. n.

15

of the creation, existence, and end of this world;
■who is the root of the world, and who consists of the
world. ^

Having glorified him who is the support of all
things; who is the smallest of the small;* who is in all
created things; the unchanged,* imperishable’ Puru-

ject to change: Sadaikanipa, one invariable nature: he is the
liberator (Tara), or he who bears mortals across the ocean of
existence: he is both single and manifold (Ekanekariipa): and
be is the indiscrete (Avyakta) cause of the world, as well as
the discrete (Vyakta) effect; or the invisible cause and visible
creation.

^ Jaganmaya, made up, or consisting substantially of

the world. Maya is an affix denoting ‘made’ or ‘consisting of’;
as K^hthamaya, ‘made of wood’. The world is, therefore, not
regarded, by the Paurdhiks, as an emanation, or an illusion, but
as consubstantial with its iirst cause.

^ Aniyaifisam aniyasam niost atomic

of the atomic’; alluding to the atomic theory of the Nydya or
logical school.

, / ® Or Achyula a common name of Vishnu, from a/

privative, and Ohyuta, fallen: according to our comment, ‘he
who does not perish with created things’. The Mahabharata
interprets it, in one place, to mean ‘he who is not distinct from
final emancipation’; and, in another, to signify ‘exempt from
decay’ A commentator on the Kasikhands of the

Skanda Purina explains it ‘he who never declines (or varies)
from his own proper nature: ’ It

* In the original there is no term to "which this corresponds.

t I ?

16

VISHl^ PURINA.

' shottama;^ ■who is one with true wisdom, as truly
known;® eternal and incon’upt;* and who is known,
through false appearances, by the nature of visible
objects:®t having bowed to Vishiiu, the destroyer.

^ This is another common title of Vishnu, implying supreme,
best (Uttama), spirit (Purusha), or male, or sacrifice, or, ac¬
cording to the Mahiibh., Moksha Dharma, whatever sense Pu¬
rusha may bear:

* Paramarthalah ‘by or through the real object,

or sense; through actual truth.’

® Bhrantidarsanatall , ‘false appearances,’ in

opposition to actual truth. ‘By the nature of visible objects’
Artha is explained by DfiiSya ‘visible’;

Swardpena, by ‘the nature of’. That is, visible objects are not
what they seem to be, independent existences; they are essen¬
tially one with their original source; and knowledge of their
true nature, or relation to Vishnu, is knowledge of Vishiiu him-

* “ Who is, essentially, one ^itb intelligence, transcendent, and without
spot:”

f Preferably; “Conceived of, by reason of erroneous apprehension,
as a material form”:

The comme ntary mns:

I 7he “erroneous apprehension” spoken of is here ez-
plained as arising from the conception of the individual soul.

J In the Hmvmhia, 11358, we find:

^^Puruslta, that is to say, sacrifice, or whatever else is meant hy purusha^
—all that, known for highest (para)^ is called PwrushoUamaJ*

The word is a karma^draya compound, not a tatpurusha.

BOOK I., CHAP. n.

17

and loi’d of creation and presei'vation; the ruler of the
worldj unborn, imperishable, undecaying:* I will
relate to you that which was originally imparted by
the great fether of all (Bi’ahmdf), in answer to the
questions of Daksha and other venerable sages, and
repeated by them to Purukutsa, a king who reigned
on the banks of the Narmadd. It was next related by
him to Saraswata, and by S4raswata to me.^

Who can describe him who is not to be apprehended
by the senses: who is the best of all things; the su¬
preme soul, self-existent: who is devoid of all the
distinguishing characteristics of complexion, caste, or
the like; and is exempt from bulb, vicissitude, death,
or decay:! who is always, and alone: who exists
eveiywhere, and in whom all things here exist; and
who is, thence, named VAsudeva?® He is Brah-#

ftelf. This is not the doctrine of Maya, or the influence of illu-
Hion, which alone, according to YedAnta idealism, constitutes
Ixdief in the existence of matter: a doctrine foreign to most of
the Puranas, and first introduced amongst them, apparently, by
the Bluigavata.

* A different and more detailed account of the transmission
of the Vislniu Puniiia is given in the last book, c. 8.

** The ordinary derivation of Yiisudova has been noticed^
above (p, 2), Here it is derived from Yas, ‘to ^welV from
Vishnu’s abiding in all things, and all in him;

I The Mah4bhdi*ata explains Vasu in the same man¬
ner, and Deva to signify radiant, shining:

* A'Ofjaya, Hero and elsowhero the coniinentator gives aparitiamin,
“immutablo”, as its synonym,
f Expressed by Abjayoni, “Lotos-born’*.
t Add “increase”, ^iddliu

1 .

2

18

VISHNC I*UBX:i'A.

ma,‘ Bujnx'Uie, lord, eternal, unborn, imperishable, un¬
decay ing; of one essence; ever pure, as free from defects.
He, that Bi*alnna, was all things; comprehending in
his o-wn natiu*e the indiscrete and discrete. He then
existed in the forms of Punisha and of Kdla. Pnrusha
(spirit) is the lii’st form of the supreme; next proceeded
two other fjrms, the discrete and indiscrete; and Kala
'' (time) was the last.* These four—^Pradhina (primary

_- - ___ _- - ■ ■ ^^ I

’sn’fU ^55 nwJ It ^ITf^sn*

I ‘He causes all things to dwell in him; and
he abides in all; whence he is named Vasu. Being resplendent
us the sun, he is called Deva: and he who is both these is de-
tuuuinated Vasudeva/ See also b. VL, c. o,

* The conimeutator argues, that Vasudeva must be the Brahma
or supreme l«?iijg of the Vedas, because the same circumstances

w ^ t^rJTR: II

3ilRt ipf g^: i

^ ?irmRrniT*c»

“That Bralma^ in its totality, has, essentially, the aspect of prufoVt/,
both evolved and nnevolved, and also the aspect of spirit, and the aspect
of time. Spirit, 0 twice-born, is the leading aspect of the supreme Brahma.
The next is a twofold aspect, uis., prdkhiHy both evolved and nnevolved;
and time is the last/'

It seems, therefore, not that ])rohHti^ spirit, and time originated from
Brahma, but that Brahma offers itself under these modes of apprehension.
These modes are coessential with Brahma.

The last line of the text cited above admitting of two interpretations,
that has been chosen which harmonizes the doctrine of the writer of the
Purdua with the doctrine of his quotation in pp. 33—25, fri/ro; for on
that his own enunciation here undoubtedly is founded.

Professor Wilson adopted the following reading of the first line of the
verses in question:

T!la?iii4*lfl liHij ft I

f These •words haye the appearance of being a glossarial expansion of
an etymology given in ihe MnhMdraia, or some similar work. The

BOOK I., CHAP. n.

19

or crude matter), Purusha (spirit), Vyakta (visible''
substance), and KAla (time)—the wise consider to be
the pure and supi-eme condition of Vishhu.* These
four forms, in their due proportions, ai*e the causes of
the production of the phenomena of creation, pi’esei*-
vation, and destruction. Vishhu, being thus discrete
and indiscrete substance, spirit, and time, sports like

are predicated of both, as eternity, omnipresence, omnipotence,
«&c.; but he does not adduce any scriptural text with the name
Vdsudeva.

® Time is not usually enumerated, in the Puradas, as an
(dement of the first cause 5 but the Padma P. and the Bhiigavata
agree with the Visbiiu in including it. It appears to have been
regarded, at an earlier date, as an independent cause. The com¬
mentator on the Moksha Dharma cites a passage from the Vedas,
which he understands to allude to the different theories of the
cause of creation:

Time, inherent nature, consequence of acts, self-will, elemental^
atoms, matter, and spirit, asserted, severally, by the Astrologers,
the Buddhists, the Mimdmsakas, the Jainas, the Logicians, the
Sdnkhyas, and the Vedantins. Kqovoq was also one of the first
generated agents in creation, according to the Orphic theogony,

commentary on the VishAU'-puTdjia has: I

^rrg^ tro: i

Itt the Mahdbluircaa, i^<kti^arv(m, 13169, we read:

* From the kwetdiwatara Upanishad, See the Bibliotheca Indica,
Vol. VII, p. 276.

2

20 VISHlJu PI’rXnA.

a playful boy, as you shall leai’n by listening to his
frolics.^

That chief principle (Pradhdna), which is the in¬
discrete cause, is called, by the sages, also Prakf*iti
(nature): it is subtile, uniform, and comprehends what
is and what is not (or both causes and effects);* is
durable, self-sustained, illimitable, undecaying, and
stable; devoid of sound or touch, and possessing
neither colour nor foim; endowed with the three quar
lities (in equilibrium); the mother of the world; with¬
out beginning;® and that into which all that is produced

The creation of the world is very commonly considered to
be die Lild (^^), sport or amusement, of tlie supreme being.

® The attiibntes of Pradhana, the chief (principle or element),
here specified, conform, generally, to those ascribed to it by the
Sankhya philosophy (Sankhya Karikd, p. 16, &c.); although some
of them are incompatible with its origin li-om a first cause, f In
the Sdnkhya, this incongruity does not occur; for there Fradhdna
is independent, and coordinate with primary spirit. The Purdfias
give rise to the inconsistency, by a lax nse of both philosophical
and pantheistical expressions. The most incongruous epithets in
our text are, however, explained away in the comment Thus,
Nitya (t%W), ‘eternal’, is said to mean ‘uniform, not liable to
increase or diminution’: fSfaf I Sada-

saddtmaka ‘comprehending what is and what is

not’, means ‘having the power of both cause and effect’ (’srl-
as proceeding from Vishnu, and as giving origin
to material things. An^i ‘without beginning’, means

* The literal translation is this: “That which is the unevolved cause
is emphatically called, by the most eminent sages, yradhdna^ original
base, wMck is subtile yrakfiU, viz,, that which is eternal, and which at
once is and is not, or is mere jprocessJ'^

The Sanskrit is in note 2 of this page. I cannot translate prakHii,

BOOK I., CHAP. n.

21

is resolved.* By that principle all things were in-

® without birth’ not being engendered by any created

thing, but proceeding immediately from the first cause. ‘The
mother’, or, literally, ‘the womb, of the world’
means ‘the passive agent in creation’, operated on, or influenced,
by the active will of the creator. + The first part of the passage
in the text is a favourite one with several of the Pur^nas; but
they modify it, and apply it after their own fashion. In the
Vishnu, the original is:

uwfH; II

rendered as above. The Y^tu, Brahmadda, and Kurma Pa-
raiias have:

’’SRIW WRTlf ^ I

‘The indiscrete cause, which is uniform, and both cause and
cfTcct, and whom those who are acquainted with first principles
call Pradhdna and Prakfiti, is the uncognizable Brahma, who
was before all ’: I § But the application

of two synonyms of Prakfiti to Brahma seems unnecessary, at
least. The Brahma P. corrects the reading, apparently: the first
line is as before; the second is:

^ Prabhavdpyaya, ^Hhe place whence is the origination and into which
is the resolution of all things So says the commentator, and rightly.

Jagad-yonii a little before, is scarcely so much “the mother of the
world'*, or “the womb of the world”, as “the material cause of the
world.” The commentator explains it by Jcdratla^ “cause”.

It may be generally remarked, with regard to these explanations of
terms used in the text, and expounded by the Hindu commentator, that,
had Professor Wilson enjoyed the advantages which are now at the
command of the student of Indian philosophy, unquestionably he would
hero have expressed himself differently. Thus, the reader will not find
the “incongruity” and “inconsistency” complained of, if he beam in
mind, that the text speaks of Brahma, not as putting forth evolutions,
but as exhibiting different aspects of itself.

J This is in the fourth chapter of the Vdyvrpuif*dda,

J Compare the MdsthaMe^orfv/taAa^ XLV.j 32 and 34.

22 visuNU purIna.

vested in the period subsequent to the last dissolution

Husuflf I

The passage is placed absolutely: ^There was an indiscrete
cause,—eternal, and cause and effect,—which was both matter
and spirit (Pradhana and Purusha), from which this world was
made.’ Instead of ^such’ or ‘this’, some copies read

‘from which Iswara or god (the active deity or Brahma)
made the world’. The Hari Yamsa has the same reading, except
in the last term, whidi it makes that is, according to the

commentator, ‘the world, which is ISwara, was made.’ The same
authority explaixis this indiscrete cause, Avyaktakarana, to denote
Brahmd, ‘ihe creator’s 7f % Wit I

an identification very unusual, if not inaccurate, and possibly
founded on misapprehension of what is stated by theBhavishyaP.:

THT ¥ 3pprnn^ Tfii I

‘That male or spirit which is endowed v\rith that which is the
indiscrete cause, &c., is known, in the world, as Brahma: he,
being in the egg’, <&c. The passage is precisely the same in
Manu, I., 11.; except that we have ‘Visfishta’ instead of ‘Vi-
sish&a’. The latter is a questionable reading, and is, probably,
vrrong; the sense of the former is, ‘detached’: and the whole
means, very consistently, ‘embodied spirit detached from the
indiscrete cause of the world, is known as Brahmd’.* The Padma
P, inserts the first line, <fec., but has;

T^rPr^: I

VishWa, the only reading recognized by KuUiika and Medhatithi,
commentators on the Mdnava-dharma'-idstra, means, as explained by
them, utpddifa, “produced” or “created”.

The MdmvordhairmaridBtra notably differs from the Sankhya, in that
it does not hold a duality of first principles. And still different are the
Paranas, in which the dualistic principles are united in Brahma, and-*
as previously remarked—are not evolutions therefmm, but so many
aspects of some supreme deity. See the Translator’s first note in p. 16,
supra.

BOOK I., CHAP. n.

n

of the universe, and prior to creation. ^ For Brahmans
learned in the Vedas, and teaching truly then’ doc¬
trines, explain such passages as the following as in¬
tending the production of the chief principle (Prar
dhdna). “There was neither day nor night, nor sky^
nor earth, nor darkness nor ligh^ nor any other thing,
save only One, unapprehensible by intellect, or That
which is Brahma and Pums (spirit) and Pradh4na

‘Which creates, undoubtedly, Mahat and the other qualities’:*
assigning the first epithets, therefore, as the Vishnu does, to
Prakfiti only. The Lingaf also refers the expression to Prakfiti
alone, but makes it a secondary cause:

ir^rrt ii

‘An indiscrete cause, which those acquainted with first principles
call Pradhdna and Prakfiti, proceeded from that Iswara (Siva).’
This passage is one of very many instances in which expressions
are common to several Puranas, that seem to be borrowed from
one another, or from some common source older than any of
them; especially in this instance, as the same text occurs in Manu. J
^ The expression of the text is rather obscure; ‘All was per¬
vaded (or comprehended) by that chief principle before (re-crea¬
tion), after the (last) destruction’:

The ellipses are filled up by the commentator. This, he adds,
is to be regarded as the state of things at a Mahapralaya or
total dissolution; leaving, therefore, jcrude matter, nature, or
chaos, as a coexistent element with the Supreme. This, which
is conformable to the philosophical doctrine, is not, however,
that of the Purdnas in general, nor that of our text, which states

* Read: “Which creates all, from mahat to individual existences:
such is the conclusion of the scriptares,’*
f Prior Section, LXX, 2.

J See the editor’s note in the preceding page.

24

VISHNU PURA.KA.

(matter)J The two forms which are other than

(l). VI,, c. 4), that, at a Prakrita or elementary dissolution, Pra-
dliaua itself merges into the deity.* Neither is it, apparently,
the doctrine of the Vedas, although their language is somewhat
equivocal.

* The metre here is one common to the Vedas, Trishtubh;
but, in other respects, the language is not characteristic of those
compositions. The purport of the passage is rendered somewhat
doubtful by its close and by the explanation of the commen-
tator, Tho former is: ipl ■JrnarrfNt W I ‘One

Pradhaiiika Brahma Spirit: That, was.’ The commentator
explains Pradhdnika, Pradhana eva, the same word as Pradhana;
hut it is a derivative word, which may be used attribntively,
impl 3 "ing ‘having, or conjoined with, Pradhdna’. The commen¬
tator, however, interprets it as the substantive; for he adds:
‘There was Pradhana and Brahma and Spirit; this triad was at
the period of dissolution’: msTpf ^ ?T^

it He evidently, however, understands their con¬
joint existence as one only; for he continues: ‘So, according to
the Vedas, then there was neither the non-existent cause nor the
existent effect’; Tpqr | 1 1

* The evolutionary doctrine is not the Paurduik; and the commentator—
who, on this occasion, does little more than supply ellipses, and does
not call prakriti, “at a Mahapralaya”, “a coexistent element with the
Supreme ” —advances nothing in contradiction to the tenor of the
Piiranas, See the editor's second note in p. 21, and note in p. 22, svpra,
t It is the abridged comment that is here cited. In the copy of it to
which I have access, the passage extracted above begins:
iniiTS!^iinvTf%^w ^ I The fuller comment has: irrerrf^

J Thus opens a hymn of the hg-veda; X., 129. See Colebrooke’s
Macellamous Essagg, Vol. L, p. 38; Mfiller’s Hiitoiy of Ancient Sanskrit
Ligature, pp. 659 et seq.; and Goldstucker’s Pdiiini, Hie Place in Sanskrit
Uieratare^ pp. 144 et eeq^ The Sanskrit of the hynin^ accompanied by a
new translation, will be found in Original Sanskrit Texts, Part lY., pp. 3
and 4,

BOOK r., CHAP. ir.

25

the essence of unmodified Vishfiu ai’e Pradhdna (mat¬
ter) and Purusha (spiidt); and his other form, by which
those two are connected or separated, is called K4la
(time).”'* When discrete substance is aggi’egatedincrude
nature, as in a foregone dissolution, that dissolution is

meaning that there was onlj One Being, in whom matter and
its modifications were all comprehended.

* Or it might be rendered: ‘Those two other forms (which
proceed) from his supreme nature’: I I that

is, from the nature of Vishnu when he is Nirupadhi or without
adventitious attributes: ^I ‘other’

the commentator states they are other, or separate from Vishnu,
only through Mayd, ‘illusion’, but here implying ‘false notion’:
the elements of creation being, in essence, one with Vishnu,
though, in existence, detached and different.

• ’nft ^ ttM ’Pfr ^

ff %

^ iwpt f*nn

There was neither day nor night, neither heaven nor earth, neither
/darkness nor light. And there was not aught else apprehensible by the
^senses or by the mental faculties. There was then, however, one Brahma,
/essentially praMiH and spirit. For the two aspects of Vishnu .which are
^ other than his supreme essential aspect are praMith and spirit, 0 Brah-
/>man* When these two other asjpects of his no longer subsist, hut are
/dissolved, then that aspect whence form and the rest, i* e., creaiion, pro-
/ceed anew is denominated time, 0 twice-bom.*’

Hee the editor’s first note in p. 18, mpra.

1 have carried forward the inverted commas by which Professor Wilson
indicated the end of the quotation. There can be no question that it
embraces two stanzas. They are in the triehhhh metre, and are preceded
and followed by verses in the oin/aeMuhh^

26

^TSHKU PURANA.

termed elemental (Prakrita). The deity as Time is with¬
out beginning, and his end is not known; andfi'om him
the revolutions of ci’eation, continuance, and dissolu¬
tion unintemittingly succeed:* for, when, in the latter
season, the equilibrium of the qualities (Pradhana)
exists, and spirit (Pums) is detached from matter,
then the form of Vishhu which is Time abides. ^ Then

’ Pradhana, when unmodified, is, according to the Sdnkhyas
and Paurdmks, nothing more than the three qualities f in eqaili-
brio; or goodness, foulness, and darkness neutralizing each other;
(Sankhya Karikd, p. 52). So in the Matsya P.:

This state is synonymous with the non-evolution of material pro¬
ducts, or with dissolution; implying, however, separate existence,
and detached from spirit. This being the case, it is asked. What
should sustain matter and spirit whilst separate, or renew their
combination so as to renovate creation? It is answered, Time,
which is when everything else is not, and which, at the end of
a certain interval, unites Matter (Pradh^a) and Purusha, and

We here have a reference, apparently, to four—not simply to three—
conditions of things, the last of which, smhycmia^ '^delitescence'’, denotes
the state that prevails dniing the nights of Brahmi, when all concrete
forms are resolved into their original elements. The word has occurred
before: see p. 11, 9upra. Also see the MdrkaM^a-pierdiia, XLYI, 7,
The commentator, at first, takes sathyama — i, e., he says, BoMAra —
for the third condition, qualified by cmta^antB^ "at last”. Alternati¬
vely, he makes onto the third of the conditions, and governs the names
of all three by saihyatnM^ in the sense of niyamdK, For niyama^ in
place of Bodiyama^ in a classification similar to that of the text, see
Sankara Acharya's Commentary on the ^metd&voatara Vpaimkadi Bihlio-
theca Indica, Vol. VII., pp. 276 and 276.

f On rendering the Sdnkhya or Paurafiik gujia, as here meant, by
"quality”, see my translation of Pandit Nehemiah Nilakanfha Gastrin’s
Rational B^utaiion of the Hindu PUloBophical System ^ pp. 43 and 44,
foot-note, and pp. 219 et seg., fbot-note.

BOOK I., CHAP. 11.

27

the supreme Brahma, the supreme soul, the substance
of the world,* the lord of all creatures, the universal
soul, the supreme ruler, Hari, of his own will having
entered into matter and spirit, agitated the mutable
and immutable principles, the season of creation being
arrived. In the same manner as fragrance affects the
mind from its pi'oximity merely, and not from any
immediate operation upon mind itself so the Supreme
influenced the elements of creation. ‘ Puinishottama

produces creation. Conceptions of this kind arc evidently com¬
prised in die Orphic triad, or the ancient notion of the coopera¬
tion of three such prindples, in creation, as Phanes or Eros,
which is the Hindu spirit or Pnrusha; Chaos, matter or Pra-
dhdna; and Chronos, or Kdla, time.

• Pradhana is styled Vyaya ‘that which may be ex¬
pended’;t or Parinimin ‘which may be modified’:

and Pumsha is called Avyaya ‘inconsumable’, or

fl pn.r i pii.min ('<mr\(l|lf4(<Q, ‘immutable’. The expressions
‘having entered into’, and ‘agitated’, recall

the mode in which divine intelligence, mens, votig, was con¬
ceived, by the andents, to operate upon matter:

0QTjv ... (pQovtlat xodfiov anavTct,

.... xavataaovaa &6rjaiy\
or as in a more familiar passage:

Spiritus intus alit, totamque infnsa per artus.

Mens agitat moleiq, et magno se corpore miscet:
or, perhaps, it more closely approximates to the Phoemcian cos¬
mogony, in which a spirit, mixing with its own principles, gives
rise to creation. Brucker, I., 240. As presently explained, the
mixture is not mechanical; it is an infinence or effect exerted
upon intermediate agents which produce effects; as perfumes do
not delight the mind by actual contact, but by the impression

• Supply “all-penneant” sarve^a.

■j- “Passing away”, or “perishable”, is more literal.

28

VISHNU PURANA.

is both the agitator and the thing to be agitated; being
present in the essence of matter, both when it is con-

they make upon the sense of smelling, which communicates it to
the mind. The entrance of the supreme Vishiiu into spirit, as
well as matter, is less intelligible than the view elsewhere taken
of it, as the infusion of spirit, identified with the Supreme, into
Prakriti or matter alone. Thus, in the Padma Puraiia:*

^ Twarx: fWt ^ »

ir wrrfj^: f»

^He who is called the male (spirit) of Praknti is here named

* Achyuta; and that same divine Vishnu entered into Praknti.’
So the Bfihan N^adiya;

‘The lord of the world, who is called Purusha, producing agi¬
tation ill Prakfiti.’ From the notion of influence or agitation
produced on matter through or with spirit, the abuse of personi¬
fication led to actual or vicarious admixture. Thus, the Bh^a-
vata, identifying Maya with Prakriti, has:

f xmrRTf i

-- ‘Through the operation of time, the Mighty One, who is present
to the pure, implanted a seed in Maya endowed with qualities,
. as Purusha, which is one with himself.’f B. IIL, s. 6. And the

* Bhavishya; ‘Some learned men say, that the supreme being,
I desirous to create beings, creates, in the commencement of the
(C Kalpa, a body of soul (or an incorporeal substance); which soul,
, created by him, enters into Prakriti; and Prakriti, being thereby
/ agitated, creates many material elements’;

^ I

^ «5EtT?rrarr wfpt u

* TJttca-a-kaA&a, XXXIV.

f Burnouf—Yol. I., p. 176—has: “Lorsque Paction du temps eut d6ve-
loppe au sein de Maya, les qnalitds, Adh6kchaja, dou4 cle vigueur, se
manifestant sous la forme de Furucha, ddposa en elle sa semence.'’

For Adhokshaja, see Goldstucker’s Sanskrit Dictionary, sub voce; also
Original Sanskrit Texts, Part IV., pp. 182 and 188.

BOOK I., CHAP. n.

29

tracted and expanded.^ "VishAu, supi’eme over the
supreme, is of the nature of discrete foms in the
atomic productions, Bx*ahmd and the rest (gods,
men, &o.).

Then from that equilibrium of the qualities (Pi*a-
dh4na), presided over by soul,® proceeds the unequal
development of those qualities (constituting the prin¬
ciple Mahat or Intellect) at the time of ci’eation.® The

w^Tfr irar: i

^ n

trvR ^ i

But these may be regarded as notions of a later date. In the
Mahabhdrata, the first cause is declared to be ‘Intellectual’, who
creates by his mind or will:

’TO 1

‘The first (being) is called Mdnasa (intellectual), and is so
celebrated by great sages; he is god, without beginning or end,
indivisible, immortal, undecaying.’ And again:

Mq» T n i^ '<S «fSR^ I

‘ The Intellectual created many kinds of creatures by his mind.’

^ Contraction, Sankocha (lEWt^), is explained by Sdmya
(W ^ ) 9 sameness or equilibrium of the three qualities, or inert
PradhAna; and Expansion, Vikdsa is the destruction

of this equipoise, by previous agitation and consequent develop¬
ment of material products.

® The term here is Kshetrajna, ‘embodied spirit’, or that*^
which knows the Kshetra or ‘body’; implying the combination
of spirit with form or matter, for the purpose of creating.

^ The first product of Pradhdna, sensible to divine, though
not to mere human, organs, is, both according to the SAnkhya
and Pauranik doctrines, the principle called Mahat, literally, ‘the f
Great’; explained in other places, as in our text, ‘the production
of the manifestation of the qualities’: I or, as

in the Vdyu;

30

VISHNr PURINA.

Chief principle then invests that Gi*eat principle, In¬
tellect; and it becomes threefold, as affected by the
quality of goodness, foulness, or darkness, and invested

■ ■ ■ _"N I, . , 1 , I — .

We have, in the same Parana, as well as in the Brahmanda and
Linga, a number of synonyms for this term, as:

mrr 1 ^: »*

* This stanza occurs in the fourth chapter of the Vdyu-iJurdtUt, Im¬
mediately folloviug it are these definitions, which Professor Wilson has
translated:

^ 11

ftufSiTrt fwpf ^fiT ^ I
5Rf7r: it

^rnxwt ^ II
1*iwnl’r it

II

wrfir; i

’rprrfi[f3r(?Niir* i

ww ^nnr: ’eNit <«Tfiit^«rf3T4Wt ii
^RI(M<f f^RRTf^TTfW ^^y :: I
^ran^TPi^fT TnjT^’i ii
mviii{ir*i ^ a?j*ii4‘ii<«ini I
rRTm ^qWTWRR wreT nTRR^ II
<l^iHT«ll«l'lfijlft ^l«l'Hlfl|«*|fi| I

II

BOOK I., CHAP. n.

31

by the Chief principle (matter), as seed is by its skin.

32 VISHlhj PURANA.

'From tlxe gi’eat principle (Mahat) Intellect, threefold

quences of acts to all creatures, and provides for their happiness.
Mahat, the Great principle, is so termed from being the first of
the created principles, and from its extension being gi*eater than
that of the rest. Mati is that which discriminates and distinguishes
objects preparatory to their fruition by Soul. Brahma implies
that which effects the development and augmentation of created
things. Pur is that by which the concurrence of nature occupies
and fills all bodies. Buddhi is that which communicates to soul
the knowledge of good and evil. BIhyati is the means of indi¬
vidual fruition, or the faculty of discriminating objects by appro¬
priate designations and the like. Iswara is that which knows
all things as if they were present. Prajna is that by which the
properties of things are known. Chiti is that by which the con¬
sequences of acts and species of knowledge are selected for tlie
use of soul. Smfiti is the faculty of recognizing all things, past,
present, or to come. Saiiivid is that in which all things are
found or known, and which is found or known in all things: and
Vipura is that which is free from the effects of contrarieties, as
of knowledge and ignorance, and the like. Mahat is also called
Iswara, from its exerdsing supremacy over all things; Bhava,
from its elementary existence; Eka, or ‘the one’, from its single¬
ness; Purusha, from its abiding within the body; and, from its
being ungenerated, it is called Swayambhu.”* Now, in this

i; '....l . . '.r; r-mvv!:.=r-:::;grr— ; t-t ■ : ■ ■ ■ ■■

^ II

llrarfic I

^ The terms thus enumerated and elucidated —viszoara, mahat ^ praj7id,
^ manas^ brahma^ chiti^ smHtii hhydti, sadwid, idwara^ and /wu/z — belong,
^ as they here stand, to the Yoga philosophy.

* The reader will be able to verify this translation by the original
given at the beginning of the last note. Brahma —which comes between
iSwara and hh&m—^zs overlooked. Further, for “Eka** read so/ru, meaning
the same thing, “one.**

BOOK 1., CHAP. ir.

33

Egotism, (Ahamkdi’a),* denominated Vaik4rika, ‘pure’;
Taijasa, ‘passionate’; andBhiitddi, ‘rudimental’,* is pro-

/

uomendatnre ire have chieflj two sets of words; one, as Manas,
Bnddhi, Mali, signifying mind, intelligence, knowledge, wisdom,
design; and the other, as Brahmd, Iswara, &&, denoting an
active creator and mler of the universe: as the Yayu adds,

^Mabat, impelled by the desire to create, causes various creation^:
and the Mahdbhih-ata has: 1 ‘Mahat created

Abamkara.^ Tbe PurAnas generally employ tbe same expression,
attributing to Mabat or Intelligence tbe act of creating. Mabat^'
is, therefore, tbe divine mind in creative operation, tbe vovg
dict^oofimv }t(xi Tcavtcov aiving of Anaxagoras; ‘an ordering
and disposing mind, wbicb was the cause of all things.’ Tbe
word itself suggests some relationship to tbe Phcenician Mot,
wbicb, like Mabat, was tbe first product of tbe mixture of spirit
and matter, and tbe first rudiment of creation: “Ex connexions
autem ejus spiritus prodiit Mot... Hinc ♦ * seminium omnis crea-
turse et omnium remm creatio.” Brucker, I., 240. Mot, it is*'
true, appears to be a purely material substance; whilst Mahat is
an incorporealf substance: but they agree in their place in tbe
cosmogony, and are something alike in name. How far, also,
tbe Phoenician system has been accurately described, is matter
of uncertainty. See Sankhya BArika, p. 88.

* The sense of Ahamkara cannot be very well rendered by any
European term. It means the principle of individual existence,
that which appropriates perceptions, and on which depend the
notions, I think, I feel, I am.J It might be expressed by tbe pro¬
position of Descartes reversed; ‘‘Sum, ergo cogito, sentio”, &c.

♦ In strict literality, “origin of the elements.” See my edition of tbe
—in the Bibliotheca Indica —, Preface, p. 31, foot-note,
t See, however, tbe Sdnkhya-pravacham, I,, 61; and tbe Sdnkl^a-
kdrikd, XXII.

I But see tbe discussion of the distinction between akaMdra and
abhmdna in Goldstucker’s San^it Dictionaryi p. 257.

I.

3

34

PUEilSfA.

ditcerl; tlie origin of the (subtile) elements, and of the
organs of sense; invested, in oonse(]uence of its three
qualities, by Intellect, as Intellect is by the Chief prin-
-ciple.® Elementary Egotism, then becoming productive,
as the rudiment of sound, produced fi*om it Ether,* of
which sound is the characteristic, investing it with its
rudiment of sound, f Ether, becoming productive, en-

The equivalent employed by Mr. Colebrooke, egotism, has the
advantage of an analogous etymology; Almmkara being derived
from Ahan'i ‘I’; as in the Hari Vamsa:

^ 39 Trar: \

'He (Brahma), OBharata, said, I wdll create creatures.’ See also
S. Kiirika, p. 91.

® These three varieties of Ahaihkara are also described in the
♦ Stinkhya Karika, p. 92. Vaikarika, that which is productive, or
susceptible of production, is the same as the Sattwika, or that
which is comhined with the property of goodness. Taijasa
*• Ahaihkara is tliat which is endowed with Tejas, ‘heat’ or ‘energy\
in conaecpience of its having the property of Rajas, ‘passion’ or
‘activity’; and the third kind, Bhiitadi, or ‘elementary’, is the
Tamasa, or has the property of darkness. From the first kind
proceed the senses; from the last, the rudimental unconscious
elements 5 both kinds, which are equally of themselves inert, being

♦ “A characterization of akd^a 'will serve to show how inadequatively
Jt is represented by ‘elher\,,T In dimension, it is, as has been said, in-
, finite; it is not made up of parts; and colour, taste, smell, and tangi-
. hility do 4 i 0 t appertain to it. So far forth it corresponds exactly to time,
space, tswara, and soul. Its speciality, as compared therewith, consists
,in its being the material cause of sound. Except for its being so, we

♦ might take it to be one with vacuity.” Rational Refutation, &c., p. 120 .

“lu Hindu opinion, the ‘ether’ is always essontially colourless and

* pure, and only from error is supposed to possess hue. * ‘ The ignoranl,
fit is said, think the blueness of the sky to be the befoulment of‘ether’.”
t‘Jl>id., p. 272.

t On the translation of this and subsequent passages, see the Sdnkhya-
sdra, Preface, p. 83, foot-note

BOOK I., CHAP. ir.

35

gendei*ed the rudiment of touch; whence originated
strong wind, the property of which, is touch; andEther,
with the rudiment of sound, em"eloj)ed the rudiment'
of touch. Then wind, becoming productive, produced
the rudiment of form (colour); whence light (or fii*e)
proceeded, of which, fonn (colour) is tlie attribute;''
and the rudiment of touch enveloped the wind with'
the rudiment of colour. Light, becoming productive,
produced the rudiment of taste; whence proceed all
juices in which flavour resides; and the rudiment of'
colour invested the juices with the rudiment of taste. <
The waters, becoming productive, engendered the rudi¬
ment of smell; whence an aggi’egate (earth) originates,
of which smell is the propei*ty. ^ In each several ele-

rendered productive by the cooperation of the second, the energetic
or active modificjition of Ahamkdra, which is, therefore, said to
be the origin of both the senses and the elements. *

* The successive series of rudiments and elements, and their
respectively engendering the rudiments and elements next in order,

/occur in most of the Puraiias, in nearly the same words. The
Bfihan Naradiya P. observes:

‘ They (the elements) in successive order acquire the property of
causality one to the other,’ The order is also the same; or,

* Ahamkdra, “the coucoption of 1*’, has a preponderance either of-
mttwa, “pure quietude”, or of rajas, “activity”, or of tamas, “stagnancy”*
The first species, as likewise the third, becomes productive, when assisted
by the second. Such is the genuine Sankhya doctrine. In the Puriiias,
the second, besides serving as an auxiliary to production, of itself pro¬
duces; since therefrom arise live “intellectual organs” and five “organs
of action.” The.^se organa, with manas, “the organ of imaginationare
derived, in the unmodified Sdnkhya, from the first species of aJiamkaram
See, for additional details, the Sankhya-sdra, Preface, pp. 30 Qt Bsq,,
foot-note.

36 VISHlhj PUBANA.

ment resides its peculiar rudiment; thence the property

ether (Akdsa), wind or air (Vayu), fire or light (Tejas), water and
earth; except in one passage of the Mahabharata (MokshaDharma,
c. 9), where it is ether, water, fire, air, earth.* The order of
Empedocles was: ether, fire, earth, water, air. Cudworth, L, 97.
The investment (Avarana) of each element by its own rudiment,
and of each rudiment by its preceding gross and rudimental ele¬
ments, is also met with in most of the chief Puranas, as the Vdyu,
Padma, Linga, and Bhagavata; and traces of it are found amongst
the ancient cosmogonists; for Anaximander supposed that, ‘when
the world was made, a certain sphere or flame of fire, separated
from matter (the Infinite), encompassed the air, which invested
the earth as the bark does a tree’: Kcna yivsOLV wvds
Tov xoGftov anoxQid^ijvai, xai ziva ix tovvov q^loydg acpal-'
Qav 7i:eQi(pi)Tjyai T(p ttsqI vrjv yryv (og %((} yiotoV.
Euseb., Pr., I., 15. Some of the Puranas, as the Matsya, Vdyu,
Linga, Bhdgavata, and Markandeya, add a description of a
participation of properties amongst the elements, which is rather
Yedanta than Sdnkhya. According to this notion, the elements
add to their characteristic properties those of the elements which
precede them. Akaiia has the single property of sound: air has
those of touch and sound: fiire has colour, touch, and sound:
water has taste, colour, touch, and sound: and earth has smell
and the rest, thus having five properties: or, as the Linga P.f
describes the series:

twin I

vnit a

* For a related comment, see Goldstuoker's Sanskrit Dictionary,
pp. 155 and 156, sub voce
t Prior Section, LXZ., 43—47.

BOOK I., CHAP. n.

37

of tanmatratd^ (typ® or rudiment) is ascribed to these
elements. Rudimental elements are not endowed with
qualities; and therefore they are neither soothing, nor
terrific, nor stupefying.** This is the elemental creation,
proceeding from the principle of egotism affected by

^npTT ii

?RRT7»T>Br^^: I

II

/ * * * § Tanmatra, ‘rudiment’ or ‘type’, from Tad (T!^, ‘that’, for
Tasmin (^rfwnO’ ‘in that’ gross element, and matrd (^RT^),
‘subtile or rudimental form’ (ifRT The rudiments

are also the characteristic properties of the elements; as the
Bhagavata:

‘The rudiment of it (ether) is also its quality, sound as a com¬
mon designation may denote both a person 'who sees an object,
and the object which is to be seen’: that is, according to the
commentator, suppose a person behind a wall called aloud, “An
elephant! an elephant!” the term would equally indicate that an
elephant was visible, and that somebody saw it. Bhag., II., 5, 25.

® The properties here alluded to are not those of goodness,
&c., but other properties § assigned to perceptible objects by the
Sdnkhya doctrines; or 6dnti ‘placidity’, Ghorata (vh"<?n),

‘terror’, and Moha (iftf)} ‘dulness’ or ‘stupefaction’. S. Karikd,
V. 38, p. 119. |[

• ghoray mMha-, “placid, commoYed, torpid,” Probably ghora

is connected 'with ghk^Ay “to whirl.”

f With greater likelihood, tan-mdiray “merely transcendental”, is*
from tarn and mdiray the latter considered as an affix; the u of tmu
being elided, as it is, for instance, in tanmd/i for iammaHy and in similar
conjugational forms of the fifth and eighth classes.

X Rather; “Sound is its rudiment and also Us quality.”

§ “Goodness, &c.” are causes; the “other properties”, effects,

II And see the Bdnkhya-pravaidHina^ m., 1.

38

VISHNU PUR/na.

''file property of dai'kness. The organs of sense are
'Said to be the passionate products of the same prin-
• ciple, affected by foulness; and the ten divinities^ pro-
^ceed from egotism affected by the principle of good-
^ness; as does Mind, which is the eleventh. The organs
of sense are ten: of the ten, five are the skin, eye, nose,
-tongue, and eai*; the object of which, combined witli
-'Intellect, is the apprehension of sound and the rest:
.the organs of excretion and procreation, the hands,
the feet, and the voice, form the other five; of which
.exci’etion, generation, manipulation, motion, and
‘■speaking are the several acts.

Then, ether, air, light, water, and earth, severally
united with the properties of sound and the rest, existed
as distinguishable according to their qualities, as
soothing, teriifie, or stupefying; but, possessing various
energies and beingunconnectecl, they could not, without
combination, create living beings, not having blended
with each other. Having combined, therefore, with
one another, they assumed, through their mutual asso¬
ciation, the character of one mass of entire unity; and,
from the direction of spirit, with the acquiescence of
the indiscrete Principle,* Intellect and the rest, to the

’ The Bhdgavata, which gives a similar statement of the
origin of the elements, senses, and divinities, spedfies the last to
be Dii5 (space), air, the sun, Prachetas, the Aiiwins, fire, Indra,
Upendra, Mitra, and Ka or Prajipati, presiding over the senses,
according to the comment, or, severally, over the ear, skin, eyo,
tongne, nose, speech, hands, feet, and excretory and generative
organs. Bhdg., IL, 5, 31.

= Avy^tinngraheria(^rsHWT5?i^).

The expression is some-
thing equivocal; as Avyakta may here apply either to the First

BOOK I., CHAP. H.

39

gi'oss elements inclusive, formed an egg,^ which grar'
dually expanded like a bubble of water. This vast
egg, 0 sage, eomponnded of the elements, and resting
on the waters, was the excellentnatiiral abode ofVishiui
in the fonn of Brahm4; and there Vishhu, the lord of
the universe, whose essence is inscrutable, assumed a
perceptible foiTn; and even he himself abided in it, in

Cause or to matter. In either case, the notion is the same; and
the aggregation of the elements is the effect of the presidence of
spirit, without any active interference of the indiscrete principle.
The Avyakla is passive, in the evolution and combination of
Mahal and the rest, PradliAna is, no doubt, intended; but its
identification with the Supreme is also implied. The term Ann-
graha may also refer to a classification of the order of creation,
which will be again adverted to.

^ It is impossible not to refer this notion to the same origin
as the widely diffused opinion of antiquity, of the first mani¬
festation of the world in the form of an egg. “It seems to have
been a favourite symbol, and very ancient; and we find it adopted
among many nations”. Bryant, III., 165. Traces of it occurs
amongst the Syrians, Persians, and Egyptians; and, besides the
Orphic egg amongst the Greeks, and that described by Aristo¬
phanes, TUucl n^ohiacov vTirirituovvv^'^ f.i6lctv6nTeQ0Q ciov^
part of the ceremony in the Dionysiaca and other mysteries con¬
sisted of the consecration of an egg; by which, according to
Porphyry, was signified the world; ^EQ(j,r]i>av€i da %o coov tov
mo^iov. Whether this egg typified the ark, as Bryant and Faber
suppose, is not material to the proof of the antiquity and wide
diffusion of the belief, that the world, in the beginning, existed
in such a figure. A similar account of the first aggregation of
the elements in the form of an egg is given in all the Purfiiias,
with the usual epithet Haima or Hirariya, ‘golden’, as it occurs
an Manu., I, 9.

40

VISHKU PURXi^A.

the character of Brahmd.’ Its womb, vast as the
mountain Mern, was composed of the mountains;* and
the mighty oceans were the watera that filled its cavity.
In that egg, 0 Brahman, were the contments and seas
and mountains, the planets and divisions of the uni¬
verse, the gods, the demons, and mankind. And this
’’egg was exteraally invested by seven natural enve¬
lopes; or by water, air, fire, ether, and Ahamk4ra,f the
origin of the elements, each tenfold the extent of that
■which it invested; next came the principle of Intelli¬
gence; and, finally, the whole was surrounded by the
indiscrete Pi’ineiple: resembling, thus, the cocoa-nut,
filled interiorly with pulp, and exteriorly covered by
hush and rind, t

Here is another analogy to the doctrines of antiquity re¬
lating to the mundane egg: and, as the first visible male being,
who, as we shall hereafter see, united in himself the nature of
either sex, abode in the egg, and issued from itj so “this first¬
born of the world, whom they represented under two shapes and
characters, and who sprang from the mundane egg, was the
person from whom the mortals and immortals were derived. He
was the same as Dionysus, whom they styled, nQmoyovov
oifvij TQiyovov Baxystov "Avaxia '‘'Ayqinv otQQmdv xovmov

wxepmrot diftoQcpov:’’ or, with the omission of one epithet,
otxiQ(og: ^ ’

* The reading of many MSS. and of the commentator, and that which
seems to claim the preference, is:

Mern was its amnion, and the oilier mountains uere its chorion.”

t Tie wo^ (di^kdra is supplied to the original by the translator.
The commentary is silent. «ui«awr.

of ftt and of the first sentence

Md 35. * ^ ^ PP* ^

BOOK I., CHAP. n.

41

Affecting then the quality of activity, Hari, the lord of
all, himself becoming Brahma, engaged in the creation'
of the universe. Vishhu, with the quality of goodness,
and of immeasurable power, preserves created tMngs^
through successive ages, until the close of the period
termed a Kalpa; when the same mighty deity, Jan4r-
dana,^ invested with the quality of darkness, assumes
the awful form of Rudra, and swallows up the universey
Having thus devoured all things, and converted the
world into one vast ocean, the Supreme reposes upon
his mighty serpent-couch amidst the deep: he awakes
after a season, and, again, as Brahm4, becomes the author
of creation.*

Thus the one only god, Jandrdana, takes the desig-^
nation of Brahm4, Vishhu, and Siva, accordmgly as he
creates, preserves, or destroys.® Vishhu, as creator,

^ hwrtwc i ■

Jan^dana is derived from Jana ‘nien% and Ardana

(^) ,f ‘worship’; ‘the object of adoration to mankind’.

* This is the invariable doctrine of the Purinas, diversified
only according to the individual divinity to whom they ascribe
identity with Paramatroan or Paramc^wara. In our text, this is

* Almost the whole of this chapter and of the next occurs, often
nearly word for word, in the Mdrka7l&eycHpur<kli<ii XLV. et seg^
t signifies “solicitation”. But there are preferable derivations

of Janardana. For instance, Sankara Acharya, in his gloss on the thou¬
sand names of Vishnu enumerated in the JmLidsana-parvan of the Mo-
hahharata^ takes its constituent/uwo, “people”, to stand for “the wicked”,
and interprets or dam by “chastiser or extirpator”. His words, in part,
are : I According to the AfoAafiAdratoitself,

in another j^ace, Vdsudeva is called Janirdana because of his striking
terror into the Dasyus, See Original 8an»hrii Texts, Part IV., pp. 182
and 188.

42

\'1SHKL' I’URANA.

ereaU's himself; as j)reseiTer, preserves himself; as
<lesh*oyor, destroys himself at the end of aJl things.
This world of eai-th, air, fire, water, ether, the senses,
and the mind; all that is tenned spirit—that also is the
lord of all elements, the imivereal form,® and impei’ish-
able. Hence he is the cause of creation, pi’eseiwation,
and destruction; and the subject of the vicissitudes
iuhei'ent in elementary natui’e. He is the object and

^ishiiu; in the Saira Puniiias, as in the Linga, it is ^ivaj in
the Bralima Vaivarta, it is Ktishiia. The identification of one
ot the hypostases with the common scarce of the triad was an
incongruity not unknown to other theogonies: for Cneph, amongst
the Egyptians, appears, on the one hand, to have been identified
with the supreme being, the indivisible unity; whilst, on the
other, he is confounded with both Emeph and Ptha, the second
and third persons of the triad of hypostases. Cudworth, I., 4. 18 .

^ 'The world that is termed spiritI
explained, by the commentator, | ‘which, indeed,

bears the appellation spirit’j conformably to the text of the
Vedas,

this nniverse is, indeed, spirit’, f This
is rather Vedanta than Sankhya, and appears to deny the existence
of matter. And so it does, as an independent existence; for the
origin and end of infinite substance is the deity or universal
spirit: but it does not therefore imply the non-existence of the
world as real substance.

= Vishnu is both Bhiitesa ‘lord of the elements’,

or ol created things, and Viswarupa ‘universal

substance ’4 He is, therefore, as one with sensible things, sub-
ject to his own control.

Rather: “That which is tenned spirit is the world.”
f See Colebrooke^s Afiscellaneous ^Jssays^ Yol, I,, p. 47

c™n^ has, ^ I 'PT-

BOOK r., CHA1>. ir.

43

author of creation: he preserves, destroys, and is pre¬
served. He, Vishnu, as Brahma, and as all other beings,
is infinite form. He is the Supreme, the giver of all
good, the fountain of aU happiness. ^ '

' Varenya ‘most excellent’; being the same, ac¬

cording to the commentator,'*’ with supreme felicity;

I

" He Elites: t M I Varenya,

i. e,, ‘of a form to bo eloctod’, on account of his being, essentially,
supremo felicity.”

CHAPTER III.

Measure of time. Moments or Kish&is, &c.; day and night;
fortnight, month, year, divine year: Yugas or ages: Mahdyuga
or great age: day of Brahma: periods of the Manus: a Man-
wantara: night of Brahmi and destruction of the world: a year
of Brahma: his life: a Kalpa: a Parirdha: the past or Pddma
Kalpa: the present or Yardha.

Maiteeya. —^How can creative agency be attributed
to that Bralima who is without qualities, illimitable,
pure, and free from imperfection?

Paea^aea. —The essential properties of existent
things are objects of observation, of which no fore¬
knowledge is attainable; and creation and hundreds of
properties belong to Brahma,* as inseparable parts of
his essence; as heat, 0 chief of sages, is inhei*ent in fire.^

^ * Agency depends upon the Rajo-gnna^ the quality of foulness

or passion, which is an imperfection. Perfect being is void of
all qualities, and is, therefore, inert:

Omnis enim per se divom natnra necesse est
Immortali sevo samma cum pace fruatur.

But, if inert for ever, creation could not occur. The objection is
rather evaded than answered. The ascribing to Brahma of in¬
numerable and unappreciable properties is supported, by the com-

^ 55pNrr Hrnniw: ii

“ Seeing that the potencies of all existences are understood mly through
the knowledge of that— i, c., BreAma — which is beyond reasoning,
creation and the like, such potencies of existences, are refenible to
Brahma”, &c.

Professor Wilson prefened to ilSt I

BOOK I., CHAP. m.

45

Hear, then, how the deity N4r4ya6a, in the person of
Brahm4, the great parent of llie world, created all
existent things.

mentator, with vague and scarcely applicable texts of the Yedas.
‘In him there is neither insti* * * § ument nor eiffect: his like, his supe¬
rior, is nowhere seen:’

’T II

‘That supremo soul is the subjugator of all, the ruler of all, the
sovereign of all’; ^ ^nwran I

^srrtV'rf?r:r In various places of the Vedas, also, it is said that
his power is supreme, and that wisdom, power, and action are
his essential properties:

'trnnrafSiraT ^ ii t

The origin of creation is also imputed, in the Vedas, to the rise
of will or desire in the Supreme: ^ J

‘He wished, I may become manifold, I may create creatures.’
The Bhagavata expresses the same doctrine: ‘The supreme being
was before all things alone, the soul and lord of spiritual sub¬
stance. In consequence of his own will, he is secondarily defined,
as if of various minds ’: *

i

* ^cOapathcirbrdlmiaAa, XIY., 7, 2, 24. Compare the BHItad-draAyaka
Upcamhadi IV., 4, 22.

t These verses are continuous vrith those above, beginning >with ^

They are firoxn the ^voetdiwatara Upanishad, VI., 8.

t See the iidapatha-hrdhmana^ XI., 5, 8, 1. The Cldidndogya Upor
nUhad, p. 398, has: 7^®^ TWl^ I

The quotations thus far in Professor Wilson’s note are taken from the
commentary, 'which gives no precise clue to thoir derivation.

§ Bhdgavattir^pwdna, IIL, 5, 23. The second line may mean: “Soul—
t. c., Bhagavatf HraJma, or ^/ec when it follows its own desire,

implies a variety of conceptions.”

46

VISHNU PUUANA.

Brahmi is said to be born: a familiar phrase, to sig¬
nify his manifestation; and, as the peculiar measure
of his presence, a hundred of his yeai’s is said to con¬
stitute his life. That period is also called Para, and the

This will, however, in the mysticism of the Bhagavata, is per¬
sonified as Maya:

m ^ i

^rnsn ^ fw w *

/ "She (that desire) was the energy of the Supreme, who was
contemplating (the uncreated world); and, by her, whose name is
Maya, the lord made the universe.’ This, which was, at first, a
mere poetical personification of the divine will, came, in such
works as the Bhagavata, to denote a female divinity, coequal
and coetemal with the First Cause. It may be doubted if the
Vedas authorize such a mystification; and no very decided vestige
of it occurs in the Vishnu Puraiia.

Binnouf translates the stanza in these i^ords: “Au commencomeut cet
iinivors etait Bhagavat, Tllme et le souverain luaitre de toutes les aiues;
Bhagavat existait seiil sans qn’aucun attribut le manifestat, parce qwe
tout desir 4tait eteint en son coenr.”

The commentator on the BJidgavata, ^ndhara Swdmin, explains the latter
part of the stanza in ttiree ways-. iTST:

I -ft: ^ wninr Tprw I

I v rawf f^rg: ^rnft ^ i

piaraNt i «ftt

^1 i^ysTRTitxf f?^Trsr*Nr: i ^ *i ' RT*<fd-
^ gRTJ I ’frnrr i trstt

^ I ^ I isrranflt xRTfSit^^iTwr

Bliagavata-purdiici, III, 5, 25. Bnrnonfs translation is as follows:
‘•Or r^nergie de cet 5tre don4 de vne, dnergie qni ost a la fois ce yni
esiste et ce qni nWste pas [pour nos organes], c’est Ih ce qni so
Domme M&ya, et c’est par ells, illnstre gnerrier, qne I’^trs qni penetre
toutes cboses crea cet univers.”

BOOK I., CHAP. m.

47

half of it, Pardrdha.^ I have already declared to you,
0 sinless Brahman, that Time is a form of Vishhu.
Hear, now, how it is applied to measure the duration
of Bralmni and of all other sentient beings, as well as
of those which are unconscious; as* the mountains,
oceans, and the like.

() best of sages, fifteen twinklings of tlie eye make
a Kashthd; thirtyKashfhas, oncKala; and thu'tyKalus,
one Muhi'u'ta.** Thii-ty Muhiirtas constitute a day and

‘ Tins Imii is also applied lo a and still more jiro-

tracled period. See b. VI., c. 3.

® The hist proportion is rather obsenrely expressed:

t^rf^r: l ‘Thirty of them (Kalas) are the rule
for the Muhurta’. The commentator says it means that thirty
Kalas make a Giwdika (or Ghari); and two Ghatiksis, a Muhurta:
hut his (“xplanation is gratuitous, and is at variance with more
explicit passjiges elsewhere; as in the Matsya:

I ‘ A Muhurta Ih thirty Kuhis. In tiu‘8o (liviHious
of tho twonty-four hourn, the Kurinn, Markaiidoya, Matsya, Vayu,
uud Linfi;a rurahas exactly agree witli our authority. In Manu,
I., <>l, ^v<*. have flub same computation, with a dilleroncf^ in the
tirst article^ (dghtcen ‘NiuKhshas heiiig otie Kashtha. Th<i Bha-
virthya P. followH Manu, in that respect, and jigrees, in the n^st,
with the Padina, which has:

15 Nim<‘8has = I KfiHhilnu
.'K) Kashthtls s= I Kala.

3() Kalilfl = 1 KHhauu.

12 Kalianas = 1 Muhurta.
fJO Muhurtiis 1 day and night.

In th(i Mahilbharata, Moksha Dharina, it is said that thirty Ivalas
and on<‘-t(‘nth , or, according to tlie commentator, thirty Kalas
and tln*<‘c Kilsht'luis, make a Muhurta. A still gr<*ater variety,

Supply “the earth”, bkl

48

VISHIJU PURANA.

night of mortals: thii’ty such days make a month, divi¬
ded into two haJf-months: six months form an Ayana

however, occurs in the Bhagavata* and in the Brahma Vaivarta P.
These have:

2 Paramanus = 1 Anu.

3 Alius = 1 Trasareiiu.

3 Trasarenus = 1 Truti.

JOO Trufis = 1 Vedha.

3 Vedhas =s 1 Lava.

3 Lavas = 1 Nimesha.

3 Nimeshas = 1 Kshana.

5 Kshauas = 1 Elashtha.

15 Kashthas = 1 Laghu.

15 Laghus = 1 Nddika.

2 Naiiikds = 1 Muhiirta.

6 or 7 Nddikas = 1 Yamaf or watch of the day or night.
Allusions to this, or either of the preceding computations, or to
any other, have not been found in either of the other Puranas.
Yet the work of Gopala Bhatia, from which Mr. Colebrooke
states he derived his information on the subject of Indian weights
and measures (A. R, Vol. V. 5 IO 5 ), theSankhydParimdna, dtesthe
Varaha P. for a peculiar computation, and quotes another from
the Bhavishya, different from that which occurs in the first dbapter
of that work, to which we have referred. The principle of the
calculation adopted by the astronomical works is different. It is:
6 respirations (Prana) = 1 Vikala; 60 Vikalds = iDanda; 60 Dan-
das = 1 sidereal day. The Nimesha, which is the base of one of
the Pauranik modes, is a twinkle of the eye of a man at rest;
whilst the Paramanu, which is the origin of the other, and, appa¬
rently, more modern, system considering the works in which it
occurs, is the time taken by a Paramanu, or mote in the sunbeam,
to pass through a crevice in a shutter. Some indications of this
calculation being in common currency occur in the Hindustani

• III., 11, 5 seq.

f The Blidgavata-purdAa has praharai a synonym of ymna*

BOOK I., CHAP. ni.

49

(the period of the sun’s progi*ess north or south of
the ecliptic): and two Ayanas compose a year. The
southern Ayana is a nighty and the northern, a day, of
the gods. Twelve thousand divine years, each com¬
posed of (thi’ee hundred and sixty) such days,* con¬
stitute the period of the four Yugas or ages. They
are thus distributed: the Kf’ita age has four thousaml
divine years; the Treta, three thousand; the Dwapai'a,
two thousand; and the Kali age, one thousand: so those
accjuainted with anticpiity have declared. The period
that precedes a Yuga is called a Sandhyii; and it is of
as many hundred years as there are thousands in the
Yuga: and tlie period that follows a Yuga, termed the.
Sandhyamsa, is of similar duration. The interval be¬
tween the Sandhy4 and the Sandhydiusa is the Yuga,
denominated K^itji, TretA, &c. The Krita, Trehi,
Dwdpara, and Kali constitute a great age, or aggi’egate
of four ages: a thousand such aggregates are a day of
Bralnud; and fourteen Manus reign within that term.
Hear the division of tmie which they measure.*

liinuft Renu (Trasiirenu) and Lamhaf (Laghu) in Indian lioro-
iiHitry (A. R., Vol.V.,8l); whilst the more ordinary system seeiiiB
derived from tlm Jistrononiical works; being 60 Tilas = 1 Vipala;
60 Vipalas = I Pala; GO Palas = 1 Daikla or Gluirf. Ibid,

* These ciilculations of time are found in most of the Purunas,
with some additions, oocasionally, of no importance; as that of
the year of tho seven Rishis, 8030 mortal years, and tlio year of
Dhruva, 9090 such years, in tho Linga P. In all essential points,
the computations accord; and the scheme, extravagant as it may

* There is nothing, in the original, answering to “each .... days”,
t This word, being Arabic, can scarcely have any connexion

with tho Sanskrit laghu.

L

A

50

VISHNU PUR^lSfA.

Seven itishis, certain (secondary) divinities, Indra,*
Manu, and the kings his sons, are created and perish

appear, seems to admit of easy explanation. We have, in the
first place, a computation of the years of the gods in the four
ages, or;

Kfita Yuga. 4000

Sandhy^.400

Sandhyamsa .... 400

4800

Treta Yuga. 3000

Sandhyd..300

Sandhyamsa. ... 300

3600

Dwapara Yuga. 2000

Sandhyd.200

Sandhydmsa.... 200

2400

Kuli Yuga.1000

Sandhya. 100

Sandhydmsa.... 100

1200

12000

If these divine years are converted into years of mortals, by
multiplying them by 360 (a year of men being a day of the gods),
we obtain the years of which the Yugas of mortals are respectively
said to consist:

4800x360=1.728.000
3600x360=1.296.000
2400x 360 = 864.000
1200x 360 = 432.000

4.320.000, a Mahayuga.

So that these periods resolve themselves into very simple elements;
the notion of four ages in a deteriorating series expressed by

^ In the Sanskrit, 6akra, an epithet of Indra.

BOOK I., CHAP. III.

51

at one period;^ and the interval, called a Mauwantara,
is equal to seventy-one times the number of years con¬
tained in the foui* Yugas, with some additional years:*

descending arithmetical progression, as 4, 3, 2, 1; the conversion
of units into thousands; and the mythological fiction, that these
were divine years, each composed of 360 yeai'S of men. It does
not seem necessary to refer the invention to any astronomical
computations, or to any attempt to represent actual chronology.

* The details of these, as occurring in each Manwantara, are
given in the third book, c. 1 and 2.

/‘One and seventy enumerations of the four ages, with a surplus.’
A similar reading occurs in several other Purdnas; hut none of
them state of what the surplus or addition consists. But it is, in
fact, the number of years required to reconcile two computations
of the Kalpa. The most simple, and, probably, the original, calcu¬
lation of a Kalpa is its being 1000 great ages, or ages of the gods:

Bhavisbya P. Then 4.320.000 years, or a divine age, x 1000 =
4.320.000.000 years, or a day or night of Brahma. But a day of
Brahma is also seventy-one times a great age multiplied by four¬
teen: 4.320.000 x 71 X 14 = 4.294.080.000, or less than the preceding
by 25.920,000; and it is to make up for this deficiency, that a
certain number of years must be added to the computation by
Manwantaras. According to the Sdrya Siddhdnta, as cited by
Mr. Davis (A.E., VoLII.,281), this addition consists of a Sandhi to
each Manwantara, equal to the Satya age, or 1.728.000 years; and
one similar Sandhi at tlie commencement of the Kalpathus,
4.320.000x71 =306.720.000+1.728.000= 308.448.000 x 14 = 4.318.272.000
+ 1.728.000 = 4.320.000 000. The Paurdniks, however, omit the

** Siirya-eiddhdniai L, 19; p 17 of my edition in the Bibliotima
Jndica: p. 10 of the American translation, and p. 4 of Pandit Bapu
Deva fiidstriu’s translation.

4

52

VISHMTI PURInA.

this is the duration of the Manu, the (attendant) divi¬
nities, and the rest, which is equal to 852.000 divine
yeai’s, or to 306.720.000 years of mortals, independent
of the additional period. Fourteen times this peidod
constitutes a Brahma day, that is, a day of Brahmd;
the term (Brahma) being the derivative form. At the
end of this day, a dissolution of the universe occurs,*
when all the three worlds, earth, and the regions of
space are consumed with fire. The dwellers of Mahar-
loka (the region inhabited by tbe saints who survive
tlie world), distressed by the heat, repair then to Jana-
loka (the region of holy men after their decease). When
the three worlds ai’e but one mighty ocean, Brahma,
who is one with NdrAyana, satiate with the demolition
of tlie universe, sleeps upon his serpent-bed—contem¬
plated, the lotos-bom, by the ascetic inhabitants of

Saiitllu of the Ealpa, and add the whole compensation to the
Manwantaras/ The amount of this, in whole numbers, is 1.851.42S
in each Manwantara, or 4.320.000 x 71 = 306.720.000 + 1.851.428
= 308.571.428 X 14 = 4.319.999.992; leaving a very small inferiority
to the result of the calculation of a Ealpa by a thousand great
ages. To provide for this deficiency, indeed, very minute sub¬
divisions are admitted into the calculation; and the commentator
on our test says that the additional years, if of gods, are 5142
years, 10 months, 8 days, 4 watches, 2 Mnhurtas, 8 Kalas, 17
Kashthas, 2 Nimeshas, and th; if of mortals, 1.851.428 years,
C months, 24 days, 12 Na<lis, 12 Kalfis, 25 Kashihas, and 10 Ni¬
meshas. It will be observed that, in the Kalpa, we have the
regular descending series 4,3, 2, with ciphers multiplied ad libitum.

* For “the term”, &c, read: “At the end of this day occurs a recoalescence
of ihe umverse, called Brahma’s contingent reeoa^eenee:”

wr*r i

Vide infra, VI, 3, ad init,: also see the Mdrkaiideyorpurdna, XLVL, 38.

BOOK I., flHAB. Ilr,

53

the Janaloka—for a night of ecjual duration with his
day; at the close of which he creates anew. Of such
days and nights is a yeai’ of BralimA composed; and
a hundred such yeare constitute his w^hole life.^ One
Parardha,® or half his existence, has expired, termina¬
ting with the Mahi Kalpa® called Padina. The Kalpa

* The Brahma Vaivarta says 108 years; but this is unusual.
Brahma’s life is but a Niinesha of Kiishna, according to that
work; a Niniesha of Siva, according to the Saiva Puraua.

^ In the hist book, the Parardha occurs as a very different
measure of lime; but it is employed here in its ordinary acceptation.*

® In theory, the Kalpas are infinite; its tlie Bhavishya:

wrPT II

‘Kxcellent stiges, thousands of millions of Kalpas have passed;
and as many are to come.’ In tho Linga Purjliia, and others of
the Saiva division, above thirty Kalpas are named, and some
account given of several; but they are, evidently, sectarial
cmbelHslnnents. The only Kalpas usually specified arc those
which follow in the text: tin® one which was the last, or
the Padma, and tho present or Varaha. The first is also
commonly called the Brfihma; but the Bhugavata distinguishes
the Brahma, considering it to be the first of Brahma’s life,
whilst the Padma was tho last of the first Parardha. The
term Mabu, or great, Kalpa, applied to the Padma, is attached
to it only in a general sense; or, according to the commentator,
because it comprises, as a minor Kalpa, that in whidi Brahma
was born from a lotos. Properly, a great Kalpa is not a day,
but a life, of Brahma; as in the Brahma Vaivarta:

^^<11 w : i

^^*11^1 ^?rr: ii

Chronologcrs compute a Kalx)a by the life of Brahma. Minor
Kalpas, as Sarfivarta and the rest, are numerous.’ Minor Kalpas

* See Ooldstuckor’s Saashrit JDktionasry^ mh voce

54

VISHNU PURiNA.

(or day of Brahm4) termed V4r4ha is the firet of the
second period of Brahm4’s existence.

here denote every period of destruction, or those in which the
Samvarta wind, or other destructive agents, operate. Several
other computations of time are found in different Purahas; but it
will be sufficient to notice one which occurs in the Hari Varhsa;*
as it is peculiar, and because it is not quite correctly given in
M. Langlois's translation. It is the calculation of the Manava
time, or time of a Manu:

10 divine years = a day and night of a Manu.

10 Mdnava days = his fortnight.

10 Mdnava fortnights = his month.

12 Mdnava months = his season.

6 Manava seasons = his year.

Accordingly, the commentator says 72000 divine years make up
his year- The French translation has: “Dix ann^es des dieux
font un jour de Manou; dix jours des dieux font un Pakcha de
Manou”, <S:c. The error lies in the expression “jours des dieiix^\
and is evidently a mere inadvertence; for, if ten ^ears make a
day, ten days can scarcely make s. fortnight

* French translation of the Harioaihia, Vol. L, pp. 48 et zeq.

CHAPTER IV,

Narayana’s appearance, in the beginning of the Kalpa, as the
Varaha or boar: Prithivi (Earth) addresses him; he raises the
world from beneath the waters; hymned by Sanandana and
the Yogins. The earth floats on the ocean: divided into seven
zones. The lower spheres of the universe restored. Creation
renewed.

Maitreya. —Tell me, mighty sage, how, in the com¬
mencement of the (present) Kalpa, N4rAyaAa, who is
named Brahmd,* created all existent things.^
ParIsara. — ^Ih what manner the divine Brahm4,
who is one with !N4rAyaha, created progeny, and is
thence named the lord of progeny (Prajapati.), the lord
god, you shall hear.f

At the close of the past (or PAdma) Kalpa^ the divine
Brahmd, endowed with the quality of goodness, awoke
from his night of sleep, and beheld the universe void.
He, the supreme Ndrdyaha, the incomprehensible, the
sovereign of all creatures, invested with the fonn of

’ This creation is of the secondary order, or Pratisarga ('llt^4|ii);
water, and even the earth, being in existence, and, consequently,
having been preceded by the creation of Mahat and the elements.
It is also a different Pratisarga from that described by Mann, in
which Swayaihbhu first creates the waters, then the egg: one of
the simplest forms, and, perhaps, therefore, one of the earliest, in
wliich the tradition occurs.

* Read “that Brahma, who is named Ndtdyafia”: 9||[TT

I

t Read, on the faith of my HSS.: **Hear from me in vrhat manner
the divine Brahma, one with Narayana, and the god 'who is lord of the
Progenitors—created progeny”;

56

VISHND Pl’RAls'A.

Bi’ahnia., the god without beginning, the creatoi* of
all things; of whom, with respect to his uaiueN^rayaha,
the god who has the form of BrahmA, the imperishable
origin* of tlie w^orlcl, this verse is repeated; “The
water’s are called Nfci, because they were the offspring
ofNai’a (the supreme spirit); and, as, in them, his first
(Ayana) progress (in the character of Brahm4) took
place, he is thence named N^4yafia (he whose place
of moving was the waters).”^ He, the lord,f conclu-

‘ This is the 'well-known verse of Mann, I., 10,f rendered,
by Sir Wm. Jones: “The waters are called ndrdli, because they
were the prodnction of Nara, or the spirit of god; and, since
they were Lis first ajjana , or place of motion, he thence is named
Ndrayana, or modng on the waters.^' Now, although there can
be little doubt that this tradition is, in substance, the same as
that ofdencsis, the language of the translation is, perhaps, more
scriptural than is quite -warranted. The waters, it is said in the
text of Manu, were the progeny of Nara, which Kulluka Bhalta
explains Paramatman, ’the supreme soul’; that is, they were the
first productions of god in creation. Ayana, instead of ‘place

irar; *rTTT^nirrani i

Bat compare the MdrkaMeyorfpurdna^ XLVII., 1.

* Prabhavd^aya. See the editor’s first note in p. 21, mpra.

•j* Supply “when the world had become one ocean”: |

: ifrwr wit % i

In the f iMurpurdnai the last line begins: '^SpETii' cp^ TfT* I

The Ifariuamm’—l.j 36—takes the stanza from the Mdnava-dharmet^
mstfa, without alteration. Compare the Mahdbhdrata, Vanc^arvaft^
12952 and loSlO: and the Sdnti-paroa/i, 131C8. Also see Goldstficker’s
hamkrit Dictionary, sub voce

It is beyond doubt that the verses quoted above palter with the
etymology of the word ^TTCRUr* On the taddhita affix which

cannot mean “son”, see the ga^ia on Panini, lY, i, 99,

BOOK I., CHAP. rv.

57

rling that within the waters lay the earth, and being
desirous to raise it up, created another form for that

of motion’, is explained by Asraya, ‘place of abiding.’ Narayaria
means, therefore, he whose place of abiding was the deep. The
verse occurs in several of the Purahas, in general in nearly the
same words, and almost always as a quotation, as in our text:

I The Linga, Vayu, and Markandeya
Purahas, citing the same, have a somewhat different reading, or:

’rjTT % T^nrf ■srw i

^’nrraTiri II*

. ‘A pah (is the same as) Narali, or bodies (Tanavah); such, we have
heard (from the Vedas), is the meaning of Apali. He who sleeps
in them is, thence, called Narhyaha.’f The ordinary sense of
Tanu is either ‘minute’ or ‘body’; nor does it occur amongst

" The lAiiga-pardna —Prior Section, hXX, 110 and 120—has;

^irr^t ’TRTRr Twnrf ’tr •

^ % ’rirrsnir: i

The MMaiiHeya-purd/ia —XLVH., 5—has, in one JMS. that has been
consulted:

^TTcr iftTBT t i

TTTf ^ ^ wm%*r *ii<NTii: ’fir: ii

A second MS. has the first lino the same, but, for the second;

'wf m: MKi^Tir: ifn: i

And a third MS., while agreeing as to the second line, begins:

^rnit ^mrr w i

Three MSS. of the Vdyii-purdna have the first verse like this last, and,
as the second:

^ ^Tirraur: i

In another place the Vdya has, according to all my MSS.;

nmt ^ WTI

d Tfira^Ttl ^ ^TTCTVW: ’fJr: ii

*t ‘‘Water is the body of Nara: thus wo have hoard the name of water
twpUwwd, Since llrahmd vests on tho water, therefore he is termed
Narayana ”

Here, and so in tho — see the last note—cf9n%*Tj if

not ii copyist's mistake, denotes cause in two kinds, i, c., “hence” in
an absolute sense.

58

VISHNU PURINA.

pui-pose; and, as, in preceding Kalpas, he had assumed
the shape of a fish or a tortoise, so, in this, he took

the synonyms of water in the Nirukta of the Vedas. It may,
perhaps, be intended to say, that Narali or Apah has the meaning
of ‘bodily forms’, in which spirit is enshrined, and of which the
waters, with Vishnu resting upon them, are a type; for there is
much mysticism in the Purd-iias in which the passage thus occurs.
Even in them, however, it is introduced in the usual manner, by
describing the world as water alone, and Vishnu reposing upon
the deep;

wr ’TTcnTOTwrJ ^ irl%% ii

A’'ayuP.’' The Bhagavataf has, evidently, attempted to explain
'' the ancient text:

^ ’rrcr^nft n

‘When the embodied god, in the beginning, divided the mundane
egg, and issued forth, then, requiring an abiding-place, he created
the waters: the pure created the pure. In them, his own created,
he abode for a thousand years, and thence received the name of
Nardyaha: the waters being the product of the embodied deity;’J
i. e., they were the product of Nara or Vishnu, as the j&rst male

* The same passage occurs iu the Ungor^urMa, Prior Section, LXX,,
116 and 117. And compare the Mdhdbh^ata^ Vanorparvctn^ 16813—16.

These verses, in an almost identical shape, are found in the Vdyur
pitrdna. See, further, the Linga-pvardrla, Prior Section, IV., 69.

+ IL, 10, 10 and 11.

I Burnouf translates: “Purucha, ayant divise en deux parties Foenf
[de Brahma], lorsqu’il en sortit an commencement, r4flechit a se faire un
lieu ou il put se mouvoir; et pur, il crea les eaux pures. II habita sur
ces eaux cre4es par lui, pendant mille annees; de la vient qui’l revolt le
nom de Narayana, parce qne les eaux qui sent nees de Purncha [sont
appeldes Nara],”

BOOK I., CHAP. IV',

59

the figure of a boar. Having adopted a form composed
of the sacrifices of the Vedas/ for the preservation of
the whole earth, the eteraal,* supreme, and univei’sal
soul, the great progenitor of created beings, eulogized
by Sanaka and the other saints who dwell in the sphere
of holy men (Janaloka); he, the supporter of spiritual
and mateiial being, plunged into the ocean. The god¬
dess Eai*th, beholding him thus descending to the sub¬
terrene regions, bowed in devout adoration, and thus
glorified the god:—

PHthivi (Earth).—HaU to thee, who art all creatures;
to thee, the holder of the mace and shell; elevate me
now from this place, as thou hast upraised me in days
of old. From tliee have I ])roceeded; of thee do I
consist; as do the skies and all other existing things.
Hail to thee, sjiirit of the supreme spirit; to thee, soul

or Virdj, and were, therefore, termed Nara: and, from their being
his Ayana or Bthana, his ‘abiding-place’, conics his epithet of
Nardyaiia.

' The Varaha form was chosen, says the Vdyu P., because it
is an animal delighting to sport in watoi’.f But it is described, in
many Purdnas, as it is in the Vishnu, as a type of the ritual of
the Vedas; as we shall have further occasion to remark; The
elevation of the earth from beneath the ocean, in this form, was,
therefore, probably at first an allegorical ropresentatiou of tlie
extrication of the world from a deluge of iniquity, by the rites
of reli^on. Geologists may, perhaps, suspect, in tlie original and
nnmystified tradition, an allusion to a geological fact, or the
existence of lacustrine mammalia in the early periods of the
earth.

* fithirdtmnn.

fin

VISHNU PUKANA.

of sonl; to tliev, who ai‘t discrete and indiscrete matter;
who art one wdth the elements and with time. Thou
art tlie creator of all things, their preserver, and their
destroyer, in the foms, 0 lord, of Bralim&, Vishhu,
and Eiidra, at the seasons of creation, duration, and
dissolution. When thou hast devoured all things, thou
reposest on the ocean that sweeps over the world,*
meditated upon, 0 Govinda, by the wise. No one
know’eth thy true nature; and the gods adore thee only
in the foms it hath pleased thee to assume. They who
ai’e desirous of final liberation worship thee as the
supreme Brahmajf and who that adores not Vasudeva
shall obtam emancipation ? Whatever may be appre¬
hended by the mind, whatever may be perceived by
the senses, whatever may be discerned by the intellect,
all is but a form of thee. I am of thee, upheld by thee;
thou ai’t my creator, and to thee I fly for refuge: hence,
in this universe, Mddhavf (the bride ofMAdhava or
Vislniu) is my designation. Triumph to the essence
of all wisdom, to the unchangeable, t the imperishable:
triumph to the eternal; to the indiscrete, to the essence
of discrete things: to him who is both cause and effect;
whoisthe univei’se; the sinless lord ofsaciifice;4riumph.
Thou art saczifice; thou ai*t the oblation;! thou art.the

' Ytgnapati (^^Trf?r), ‘the bestower of the beneficial results
of sacrifices.’

* Literally, in place of “thou reposest”, &c,, “the world haring been
conTerted into one ocean, thou reposest”: ^ I

•J- Read: “Worshipping thee, the supreme Brahma, they who were
desirous of final liberation have compassed it” ;

+ CM/ ^ ^ ^ >

I Stilamaya, “the gross”, “the concrete.”

§ Bather, “the formula vaxha^”, ixahaSidira,

BOOK I., CHAP. IV.

61

mystic Omkdi'a; thou art the sacrificial fires; thou art
the Vedas, and their dependent sciences; thou ai*t, Hari,
the object of all worship.^ The sun, the stars, the
planets, the whole world; all that is formless, or that
has form; all that is visible, or invisible; all, Purushot-
tama, that I have said, or left unsaid; all this. Supreme^
thou art. Hail to thee, again and again! hail! all hail!

Pabasaea. —The auspicious supporter of the world,
being thus hymned by the eai*tli, emitted a low mur¬
muring sound, like the chanting of the Sama Veda;
and the mighty boar, whose eyes were like the* lotos,
and whose body, vast as the Nila mountain, was of the
dark colour of the lotos-leaves,® uplifted upon his
ample tusks the earth from the lowest regions. As he
reared up his head, the waters shed from his brow
purified the grcatf sages, Sanandana and others, resi¬
ding in the sphere of the saints. Through the inden¬
tations made by his hoofs, the waters rushed into the

^ ' Yajnapurusha (^rsrg^) 5 ‘the male or soul of sacrifice’;
explained by Yajiiamurti Hhe form or personification

of sacrifice’; or Yajndrddbya (^Enrnri''Sr), who is to be
propitiated by it.’

v-* *** Yaraba Avatara. The description of the figure of the boar

is much more particularly detailed in other Purdxias. As in the
Viiyu: ^‘Tbo boar was ten Yojanas in breadth, a thousand Yojanas
high; of the colour of a dark cloud; and his roar was like thunder;
his bulk was vast as a mountain; liis tusks were white, sharp,
and fearful; fire flashed from his eyes like lightning, and he was
radiant as the sun; his shouldci-s were round, fat, and large; he
strode along like a powerful lion; his haunches were fat, his loins

* Supply “full-blown”, sphuh.

f Supply “sinless”, apakalinaaha.

62

VISHNU PURANA-

lower worlds with a thundering noise. Before his
breath the pious denizens of Janaloka were scattered;

were slender, and his body was smooth and beautiful.” * The
Matsya P. describes the YarAha in the same words, With one or
two unimportant varieties. The Bhagavataf indulges in that
amplification which marks its more recent composition, and
describes the Varaha as issuing fi’om the nostrils of BrahmA, at
first of the size of the thumb, or an inch long, and presently
increasing to the stature of an elephant. That work also sub¬
joins a legend of the death of the demon HiranyAksha,t who, in
a preceding existence, was one of Vishnu’s doorkeepers, at his
palace in Yaikunfha. Having refused admission to a party of
Munis, they cursed him; and he was, in consequence, bom as
one of the sons of Diti. When the earth, oppressed by the weight
of the mountains, sank down into the waters, Vishnu was beheld
in the subterrene regions, or Rasatala, by Hiranyaksha, in the
act of carrying it ofl‘. The demon claimed the earth, and defied
Vishnu to combat; and a conflict took place, in which Hiraiiyaksha
was slain. This legend has not been met with in any other
Purana, and certainly does not occur in the chief of them, any
more than in our text. In the Moksha Dharma of the MahAbha-
rata, c. 35, Vishnu destroys the demons, in the form of the Vardha;
but no particular individual is specified; nor does the elevation
of the earth depend upon their discomfiture. The Kdlikd Upa-
purdna has an absurd legend of a conflict between iSiva as a

at II

ii

wmmnf ffr: i

wTTWw: II

f HI., 13, 18 el seg.
t II4 18 and 19.

BOOK I., CHAP. IV.

63

and the Munis sought for shelter amongst the bristles
upon the scriptural body of the boar, trembling as he
rose up, suppoi*ting the earth, and dripping with
moisture. Then the great sages, Sanandana and the
rest, residing continually in the sphere of saints, were
inspired with delight; and, bowhig lowly, they praised
the stern-eyed upholder of the earth.*

Triumph, lord oflords supreme jKesava,
sovereign of the earth, the wielder of the mace, the
shell, the discus, and the sword: cause of production,
destruction, and existence. Thou aut, 0 god: there is
no other supreme condition but thou. Thou, loi'd, art
the pei*son of sacrifice: for tliy feet are the Vedas; thy
tusks are the stake to which the victim is bound; in
thy teetli are the offerings; thy mouth is the altar; thy
tongue is the fire; and the hairs of thy body are the
sacrificial grass. Thine eyes, 0 omnipotent, ai*e day
and night; thy head is the seat of all, the place of
Brahma; thy mane is all the hymns of the Vedas; thy
nostrils are all oblations: 0 tliou, whose snout is the
laille of oblation; whoso deep voice is the chanting of
the Ssima Veda; whose body is the hall of sacrifice;
whose joints are the different ceremonies; and whose
ears have the properties of both voluntaiy and obliga¬
tory ritesdo thou, who art eternal, who ai’t in size a

Sarabha, a fabulous animal, and Vishnu as tho Var^lia, in which
the latter suffers himself and his offspring begotten upon earth to
he slain.

1 , ' Tlii.s, which is nothing moro than the development of the

notion that the Vnniha incarnation typifies tho ritual of the Vedas,

' Hereabouts the trauslation is not very litoral.

64

VISHlirU PUKANA.

mountain,* be propitious. We acknowledge thee, who
hast traversed the world, 0 universal form, to be the
beginning, the continuance, and the destruction of all
things: thou art the supreme god. Have pity on us,
0 lord of conscious and unconscious beings. The orb
of the earth is seen seated on the tip of thy tusks, as
if thou hadst been sporting amidst a lake where the
lotos floats, and hadst borne away the leaves covered
with soil. The space between heaven and earth is
occupied by thy body, 0 thou of unequalled gloiy,
resplendent with the power of peiwading the universe,
0 lord, for the benefit of all. Thou ai*t the aim of all:
there is none other than thee, sovereign of the world:
this is thy might, by which all things, fixed or movable,
are pervaded. This form, which is now beheld, is thy
form, as one essentially with wisdom. Those who have
not practised devotion conceive erroneously of the
nature of the world. The ignorant, who do notperceive
that this univerae is of the nature of wisdom, and judge
of it as an object of perception only, are lost in the
ocean of spiritual ignorance. But they who know ti’ue
wisdom, and whose minds are pure, behold this whole
world as one with divine knowledge, as one with thee,
0 god. Be favourable, 0 univeinal spirit; i*aise up this
eaiih, for the habitation of created beings. Inscrutable
deity, whose eyes are like lotoses, give us felicity. ()
lord, thou art endowed with the quality of goodness:

is repeated in most of the Purdhas, in the same or nearly the
same words.

The MSS. "Within my reach omit the words answering to “who art
in size a mountain”.

BOOK I., CHAP. IV.

65

raise up, Goviuda, this earth, for the general good.
Grant us happiness,© lotos-eyed. May this, thy activity-
in creation, he beneficial to the earth. Salutation to
thee. Grant us happiness, 0 lotos-eyed.

ParXi^ara.—T he supreme being thus eulogized, up¬
holding the eai-th, raised it quickly, and placed it on
the summit of the ocean, where it floats like a mighty
vessel, and, from its expansive surface, does not sink
beneath the waters.* Then, having levelled the earth,
the great eternal deity divided it into portions, by
mountains. He who never wills in vain created, by his
irresistible power, those mountains again upon the earth,
which had been consumed at the destruction of the
world. Having then divided the earth into seven great
pox’tions or continents, as it was before, he constructed,
in like manner, the four (lower) spheres, earth, sky,
heaven, and the sphere of the sages (Maharloka). Thus
Hari, the foui'-faced god, invested -with the quality of
activity, and taking the form of Brahm^ accomplished
the creation. But he (Brahm^) is only the instrumental
cause ofthings to be created; the things that are capable
of being ci-eated arise fi'om nature as a common material
cause. With exception of one instrumental cause alone,
there is no need of any other cause; for (imperceptible)
substance becomes perceptible substance according to
the powers -with which it is originally imbued,

I'-' I This seems equiTslent to the ancieiit notion of a plastic

* A luge pottion of tho present chapter, down to this point, has been
translated anew in Original Samlsrit Texts, Part IV., pp. 82 and 83.

I. 6

66

VISHlhl PURINA,

nature; “all parts of matter being supposed able to form them¬
selves artificially and methodically the greatest advan¬

tage of their present respective capabilities.” This, which Cud-
worth (c. III.) calls hylozoism, is not incompatible with an active
creator: “not ** that he should avzovQysiv anavca, set his
own hand ** to every work,” which, as Aristotle says, would
be, anQenig ** &€([), unbecoming God; but, as in the

case of Brahmd and other subordinate agents, that they should
occasion the various developments of crude nature to lake
place, by supplying that will, of which nature itself is incapable.
Action being once instituted by an instrumental medium, or by
the will of an intellectual agent, it is continued by powers, or a
vitality inherent in nature or the matter of creation itself. The
efficiency of such subordinate causes was advocated by Plato,
Aristotle, and others; and the opinion of Zeno, as stated by
Laertius, might be taken for a translation of some such passage
as that in our text: di g)v(7tg avvrjg xLvovf.iivij

xaza afcBQixaxiHovg Xoyovg^ anoTnXovai xe yai avvl%ovaa
xce avx^g iv wQta^iivoig XQ^^oig, Hcti xoiaZxa dQ(Sact d(p*
o\wv aTCBXQLdrj, Nature is a habit moved from itself, according
to ** seminal principles; perfecting and containing those several
things which in determinate times are produced from it, and acting
agreeably to that from which it was secreted.” Intell. System,
L, 328. So the commentator illustrates our text, by observing
that the cause of the budding of rice is in its o^ seed, and its
development is from itself, though its growth takes place only

wTf Teranrar to toto ii

^ j These rather obscure verses lend themselves, without violence, to some
such interpretation as the following; «He is only the ideal cause of
m potencies to be created in the work of creation; and from him
proceed the potencies to be created, alter they have become the real

ca^se, there is no other to which Uui
be referred. Worthiest of ascetics, through its potency-z. e.,
areaied thing comes by its proper

y>ith upaddm, the mateml cause. In the Sinkiya, pradh<im implies

BOOK r., CHAP. rv. 67

at a determinate season, in consequence of the instrumental
agency of the rain.

the fiiuctions of both. The author, it appears, meaus to express, in the
passage before us, that Brahma is a cause superior to •pradhdna. This
cause he calls nimitta. It -was necessary, therefore, in the translation,
to choose terms neither Vedanta norSdnkhya. “Ideal cause” and “real
cause” may, perhaps, answer the purpose.

CHAPTER V.

Vishnu as Brahmd creates the world. General charactenstics of
creation. Brahmd meditates, and gives origin to, immovable
things, animals, gods, men. Specific creation of nine kinds:
Mahat, Tanmatra, Aindriya, inanimate objects, animals, gods,
men, Anugraha, and Kaumai*a. More particular account of
creation. Origin of different ordei’s of beings from Brahma’s
body under different conditions; and of the Vedas fi*om liis
mouths. All things created again as they existed in a former
Ealpa.

Maitreta. —mifold to me, Brahman, how this
deity created the gods, sages, progenitors, demons,
men, animals, trees, and the rest, that abide on earth,
in heaven, or in the waters; how Brahm^ at creation,
made the world, with the qualities, the chai-acteristics,
and the forms of things.^

Pasa^aka. —I will explain to you, Maitreya: listen
attentively, how this deity, the lord of all, created the
gods and other beings.

s/ ’ The teinis here employed are for qualities, C4uuas; 'whieli,
as we have already noticed, are those of goodness, foulness, and
darkness.* The characteristics or Swabhivas are the inherent
properties of the qualities, by which they act, as soothing, terrific,
or stupefying; and the forms, Swarupas, are the distinctions of
biped, quadruped, brute, bird, fish, and the like.

• See Professor Wilson’s note in p. 84 , supra, and the appended
comment

BOOK I., CHAP. V.

69

Whilst he (Brahmd) foimei’ly, in the he^nning of
the Kalpas,* was meditating on creation, there appeared
a creation beginning with ignorance, and consisting of
darkness. From that great being appeared fivefold
Ignorance, consisting of obscurity, illusion, extreme
illusion, gloom, utter darkness.^ The creation of the
creator thus plunged in abstraction was the fivefold
(immovable) worl^ without intellect or reflection, void
of pei'ception or sensation, incapable of feeling, and

1 Qj. Xamas Moha (iftf) > Mahdmoha

Tamisra (cftf^^) 5 Andhalamisra ; they are the

five kinds of obstruction, Viparyaya of soul’s liberation.

According to the Sankhya, they are explained to be: 1 . The be¬
lief of material substance being the same with spirit^ 2 . Notion
of property or possession, and consequent attachment to objects,
as children and the like, as being one’s own; 3. Addiction to the
enjoyments of sense; 4. Impatience or wrath; and 5. Fear of pri¬
vation or death. They are called, in the PAtanjala philosophy,
tlie five afflictions, Klosa but are similarly explained by

Avidya , ‘ignorance’; Asmita (wf^dl )5 ‘selfishness’,

literally ‘I-amncss’; Raga ‘love’; Dwesha ‘hatred’;

and Abhinivesa ‘dread of temporal suffering’. Sdn-

khya Karikti, pp. 148-150. This creation by Brahmd in the V4raha
Kalpa begins in the same way, and in the same words, in most
of the Purdrias. The Bhdgavataf reverses the order of these
^ five products, and gives them, Andbatdmisra, Tdmisra, Mahamoha,
Moha, and Tamas; a variation obviously more immethodical than
the usual reading of tho text, and adopted, no doubt, + merely for
the sake of giving the passage an air of originality.

Compare Original Sanskrit Teats, Part L, p. 20.
f 111., 12, 2. In tho same Purdna, IIL, 20, 18, we have tdinisra
andkatdmisra, tamas, moha, and maMlamas,

X f

70

VISHOTJ PtTRXNA.

destitute of motion.^* Smce immovable things were
first created, this is called the first creation, f Brahma,

w ‘ This is not to be confounded with elementaiy creation, al-
though the description would very well apply to that of crude
nature or Pradhana; but, as will be seen presently, wc have here
to do with final productions, or the forms in which the previously
created elements and faculties are more or less perfectly aggre¬
gated. The first class of these forms is here said to he immovable
things; that is, the mineral and vegetable kingdoms: for the solid
earth, with its mountains, and rivers, and seas, was already pre¬
pared for their reception. The ‘fivefold’ immovable creation is,
indeed, according to the comment, restricted to vegetables, five
orders of which are enumerated, or: 1. trees; 2. shrubs; 3. climb¬
ing plants; 4. creepers; and 5. grasses. +

“Of hini meditating was a fivefold creation —of wilhout

reflection, devoid of clearness in all mattm external and internal, dull
of nature, essentially immovable.”

Another reading of the second line gives I "W-

ill connexion with the meaning is,

then: “devoid of reflection on external ohjecls^ endowed with inward mani¬
festations,” This is according to the commentary, which interprets the
“inward manifestations” as being cognitions chiefly of a sensual kind.

The word as used in the stanza quoted, is very unusual.

t WT wr i

V Inasmuch as tMmgs immovable are designated as primary, this is rf/s-
tiaguished as the primary creation.”

The commentator refers to a sacred text for the explanation that im¬
movable things are technically styled “primary”, mukhya, on the ground
that they were^produced at J:he^beginning of the creation of the ffods
pothers: ^ ^T<l<m^<^ i; iftWT

I

See the editor’s first note in p. 75, in^ra.

* ^ ^Tords of the commentary: m tir-

I But the grammar here looks very doubtful.

BOOK I., CHAP. V.

71

beholding that it was defective,* * * § designed another; and,
whilst he thus meditated, the animal creation was mani¬
fested, to the products of which the term Tiiyaksrotas
is applied, from their nutriment following a winding
course.These were called beasts, &c.: and their
characteristic was the quality of darkness; they being
destitute of knowledge, uncontrolled in their conduct,*
and mistaking error for wisdom; being formed of ego¬
tism and self-esteem,§ laboming under the twenty-
eight kinds of imperfection,* manifesting inward sen-

* Tiryak ‘crooked’, and Srotas ‘a canal’.

® Twenty-eight kinds of Badhas > -which, in the Sankhya
system, mean disabilities, as defects of the senses, blindness, deaf¬
ness, &C .5 and defects of intellect, discontent, ignorance, and the
like. S. Elarika, pp. 148, 151. In place of Badha, however, the
more nsual reading, as in the Bhdgavata, V4riha, and Mdrkan-
deya Purdnas, is Vidha (f^nsr) j ^kind’, ‘sort’, || as

implying twenty-eight sorts of animals. These are
thus specified in the Bhagavata, III., 10 , 20-22: Six kinds have
single hoofs: nine have double, or cloven, hoofs; and thirteen
have five claws, or nails, instead of hoofs. The first are the

* Because, according to the commentator, the universe “did not as
yet possess lhat which is the purpose of man”, namely, sacrificial acts
and the knowledge ofBrahmi. The purport is, that human beings were
not yet created: for only they can comply with the ceremonial require¬
ment of the Mimiifisd, and pursue the study of the Vedinta. The words
of the commentator are:

See, farther, my third note in p. 73, infra,

t “Since the channel for their food is in a horizontal position”, agree¬
ably to the commentator, who refers to authority for this explanation.

J “Taking the wrong way”, utpathagrdhiTU

§ I Compare the remarks under

Goldstucker’s Sanskrit Dictionary,

II But see Fanini, lY., 2, 54»

IT Mdrka/ii&eyarpurUai XLYH., 20.

72 VISHIJU PURANA.

sations, and associating with each other (according to
their kinds).*

Beholding this creation also imperfect, Brahma again
meditated; and a third creation appeared, abonnding
with the quality of goodness, tei*med Urdhwasrotas.^
The beings thus produced in the Urdhwasrotas creation
were endowed with pleasure and enjoyment, unencum¬
bered internally or externally, and luminous within and
without.f This, termed the creation of immortals,!

horse, the mnle, the ass, the yak, the Sarabha, and the Gaiira
or ■white deer. The second are the cow, the goat, the buflalo,
the hog, the gayal, the black deer, the anlolope, the camel, and
the sheep. The last are the dog, jackal, ■n'olf, tiger, cat, har(‘,
porcupine, lion, monkey, elephant, tortoise, lizard, and alligator. §

' iJrdhwa (BTt^), ‘above’, and Srotas, as before; their iioiiriHh-
ment being derived from the exterior, not from the interior, of
the body; according to the commentator:

Hill’llI as a text of the Votlas luw it:
‘Throng satiety derived from even beholding ambrosia’j

ill

^^Eudowed vith inlaid manifestations, and mutually in ignorance ahutU
their hind and nature'^

t wifwr: i

“Those beings in which was a preponderance of happy and ploasurahlo
feelings, and that were undull externally and internally, and possesseil
outward and inward manifestations, were called trrdhwasrotas.”

t Deodrsargd*

§ “Black deer” is hi-ishia*, “antelope”, mw; “lizard”, yodhtU and
“alligator”, makara.

II The gods are called ^rdhioasrotae ^ because they obtain thoir food
extraneously to the body. That is to say, the bare sight of aliment
stands, to them, in place of eating it: “for there is satisfaction from the
mere beholding of ambrosia”. So says—not a Yaidik text, but—the

BOOK r., CHAP. V.

73

was the thii*d pei’fonnance of Brahm4, who, although
well pleased with it, still found it incompetent to fulfil
his end.* Continuing, thei-efore, his meditations, there
sprang, m consequence of his infallible pui*pose,'f‘ the
creation termed Arvdksrotas, from indiscrete natoe.
The products of this ai’e termed Aiwaksrotas,^ from
the downward current (of then’ nutriment). They
abound with the light of knowledge; but the qualities
of dai’kness and of foulness predominate. Hence they
are afflicted by evil, and ai’e repeatedly impelled to
action. They have knowledge both externally and in¬
ternally, and ai*e the instruments (of accomplishing the
object of creation, the liberation of soul), t These crea¬
tures wore mankind. §

1 have thus explained to you, excellent Muni, six®

‘ Arvjlk (’?I^T5|), ‘downwards’, and Srotas (^<m), ‘canal’. ||
’ This reckoning is not very easily reconciled with the crea-

commentator, Tho quotation from tho Veda, which ho adds, in support
of his Tiew, is: "if ^ % ^ ^rarf^ ’nft i

I “Tho gods do not, indeed, either oat or drink. Having
looked upon this ambrosia, thoy are satisfied.**

* Tho translation is hero soniowhat compressed,
t Satydhhidhayiii^--^]ii^x<i an epithet of Brahmd,—“true to his will”.
Tho commentator explains it by miyorsanlcalj^ia,

J The words in brackets are supplied by the translator. The com-
Montator sayss I Allusion is made,

in the original text, to man's exclusive prerogative to engage in sacrifice
and to explore the nature of spirit. See the editor’s first note in p. 71,
swp/rt.

§ For another rendering, see Original Samkrit Parti., pp.20

and 21.

II Mon are called arvakurotoB^ because they arc developed by moans
of their food going downwards. So says tho commentator: t

i Possiwy

the right word is avdkerolm

74

VISHNU PUUANA.

creations. The first creation was that of Maliat or In¬
tellect, which is also called the creation of BvsIhmL ^
The second was that of the rudimental principles (Taii-
na4tras), thence tenned the elemental creation (Bhiita-
sarga). The thhd was the modified form of egotism/
termed the organic creation, or creation of the senses
(Aindriyaka). These three were the Prakfita creations,
the developments of indiscrete nature, preceded by the
indiscrete principle.^ The fourth or fundamental crear

tions described; for, as presently enumerated, the stages of creation
are seven. The commentator, however, considers the IJ’rdhwa-
srotas creation, or that of the superhuman beings, to be the same
with that of the Indriyas or senses, over which they preside; by
which the number is reduced to six.f

^ This creation being the work of the supremo spirit,

it according to the com¬
mentator: or it might have been understood to mean, that Brahma
was then created, being, as we have seen, identified with Mahaf,
‘active intelligence’, or the operating will of the Supreme. Sec
note in p. 33, sitpra.

^ The text is: I which is, as rendered

in the text, ‘creation preceded by, or beginning with, Buddlri, in-

* “Modified form of egotism’* here translates mikdrika} and this is
Synonymous with sdtimka, the adjective of sattira, Seo Professor Wilson’s
note in p. 34, and the editor’s comment in p. 35, aupra.

f Mention has been made, in the second chapter, of three creations,
denominated mahattesttwa, bkdtctj and indriya; and we have just read of
four, the mvkliya, tiryaksTotas^ Mlmofrotas, and arvdksrotoB, The in¬
driya comprehends tihe tirdhwasrotas, according to the commentator. lie
speaks of a reading “seven”, instead of “six”; when, ho says, the tfr-
dhwasrotoB is not comprised in the indriya; and the order of the crea¬
tions is as follows: makattaitwa^ hhita^ indriya^ mtddftya) tiryakRTotas,
Urdhwasrotas, and arvdkftroias,

X Most of my copies of the commentary have: 'IRfX WITT

BOOK I., CHAP. V.

7.5

tion (of perceptible things) was that of inanimate
bodies.* The fifth, the Tairyagyonya creation, was
that of animals. The sixth was the tlrdhwasrotas crea¬
tion, or that of the divinities. The creation of the
Arv4ksrotas beings was the sovenlh, and was that of
man. There is an eighth creation, termed Anugraha,
which possesses both the qualities of goodness and

telligence.’ The rules of euphony would, however, admit of a
mute negative being inserted, or 43^^ \ ‘preceded

by ignorance’s that is, by the chief principle, cmde nature or
Pradhana, which is one with ignorance: but this seems to depend
on notions of a later date and more partial adoption than those
generally prevailing in our authority; and the first reading, there¬
fore, has been preferred. It is also to be observed, that the first
unintellectual creation was that of immovable objects (as in p. 69,
6'wpra), the original of which is

and all ambiguity of construction is avoided. The reading is also
established by the text of the Linga Purana, which enumerates
the different series of creation in the words of the Vishnu, except
in this passage, which is there transposed, with a slight variation
of the reading. Instead of

it is

inwt i

> ‘The first creation was that of Mahat| Intellect being the first in
manifestation.’ The reading of the Vdyu P. is still more tauto¬
logical, but confirms that here preferred:

iramt arfH: ^ 1

See also note 2 in the next page.

“And the fourth creation is here the primary; for thifigs immovable
arc omphaiically known as primary.”

See the editor’s second note in p. 70, supra.

t Lingchpurdfiai Prior Section, LXX,, 162.

76

vrsHiihj purXi^a.

darkness.* Of these creations five ai*e secondaiy and
tliree are piimaiy.® But there is a ninth, the Kaumdi’a

f ^ The Anugi'aha creation, of which no notice has been found
in the Mahabharata, seems to have been borrowed from the Sdn-
khya philosophy. It is more particularly described in the Padma,
M^kanieya,^ Linga,f and Matsya Purdiias; as;

T«m'4wwt ^ ^rarr ^ ^ w**

‘The fifth is the Anngraha creation, which is subdivided into four
kinds; by obstruction, disability, perfectness, and acquiescence.’
This is the Pratyayasarga or intellectual creation of the Sankhyas
(S. Karikd, v. 46, p. 146); the creation of which we have a notion,
or to which we, give assent (Anugraha), in contradistinction to
organic creation, or that existence of whicli we have sensible per¬
ception. In its specific subdivisions, it is the notion of cerlain
inseparable properties in the four different orders of beings; ob-
structiou or stolidity in inanimate things; inability or imperfcdioii
in animals; perfectibility in man; and acquiescence or tranquil
enjoyment in gods. So also the Vayu P.;

ii

' f ® Or Vaikfita, derived mediately from the first principle, through
its Vikfitis, ‘productions’ or ‘developments’; andPrdkfita, derived
more immediately from the chief principle itself. Mahat and the
two forms of Ahamkara, or the rudimental elements and the
senses, constitute the latter class; inanimate beings, <fec. compose
the former: or the latter are considered as the work of BrahmA,
whilst the three first are evolved from Pradhdna, So the Vayu:

* XLVIL, 28; where, however, the second half of the stanza is roiid:

tWTI

f Prior Section, LXX., 157.

i The Vdyu-purdna, to the same effect—only that it substitutes “eighth”
for “fifth”—as the verses given above, is cited by the commentator.
Then follows the stanza with which the note concludes.

. BOOK 1., CHAP. V.

77

creation, which is both primary and secondary.^ These
are the nine creations of the great progenitor of all,

WJTf % II

‘The three creations beginning with Intelligence are elemental;
but the six creations which proceed from the series of which In¬
tellect is the first are the work of Brahma.’

^ We must have recourse, here also, to other Puranas, for the
elucidation of this term. The Kaumara creation is the creation
of Rudra or Nilalohita, a form of Siva, by Brahmii, which is sub¬
sequently described in our text, and of certain other mind-born
sons of Brahma, of whose birth the Vishnu P. gives no further
account. They are elsewhere termed Sanatkumara, Sananda, Sa-
naka, and Sanatana, with sometimes a fifth, fiibhu, added. These,
declining to create progeny, remained, as the name of the first
implies, ever boys, Kumaras; that is, ever pure and innocent;
whence their creation is called the Kaumara. Thus the Vayu:
’^i^ % 31^ i

^ ii

^ gI

w?rt: ii

And the Linga has:

‘Being ever as he was bom, he is here called a youth; and hence
his nauio is well known as Sanatkumara.’ This authority makes
Sanatkumai*a and Ribhu the two first born of all:

whilst the text of the Hari Vaifisa limits the primogeniture to
Sanatkumara:

In another place, however, it enumerates, apparently, six, or the

* Prior Section, LXX., 174.
t Prior Section, LXX., 170 and 171.

78

VISH3&U PUIuClsrA.

and, ‘both as primary and secondary, are tJie radical
causes of the world, proceeding from the sovereign
creator. What else dost thou desire to hear?

above four, vvith Sana, and either Ribhu or another Saniltana:
for the passage is corrupt. The French translation* ascribes a
share in creation to Sanatkumara: ‘Les sept PradjS-patis, Eoudra,
Scanda (son fils), et Sanatcoum^ra se mirent k produire les etres,
repandant partout I’in^puisable energie du Dieu.’ The original is:

lit

Sanhshlpya ia not ‘r4pandant’, but ‘restraining’; and Tishfhatah,
being in the dual number, relates, of course, to only two of the
series. The correct rendering is: ‘These seven (Prajdpatis) created
progeny; and so did Rudra: but Skanda and Sanatkumara, re¬
straining their power, abstained (from creation).’ So the com¬
mentator: t*rgir i

These sages, however, live as long as Brahmd; and they are only
created by him in the first KaJpa, although their generation is
very commonly, but inconsistently, introduced in the Vardha or
Pidma Kalpa, This creation, says the text, is both primary
(Prdkfita) and secondary (Vaiknta). It is the latter, according
to the commentator, as regards the origin of these saints from
Brahmk: it is the former, as affects Rudra, who, though proceed¬
ing from Brahmd., in a certain form was in essence equally an
immediate production of the first principle. These notions, the
birth of Rudra and the saints, seem to have been bonwed from
the ^aivas, and to have been awkwardly engrafted upon the Vai-
shnava system. Sanatkumdra and his brethrent are always de¬
scribed, in the Saiva Purfinas, as Yogins: as the Kurma, after
enumerating them, adds:

^ tit %?nw!Tf%nTT: i

* VoLI., p.6.
t Stanza 44.

I On the subject of these personages, see OrigmU SanshrU TeatSy
pasmti and the Sdnkhya^sdra, Preface, pp. 13 ei seq,^ foot-note.

BOOK I., CHAP. V.

79

Maitreya.— Thou hast briefly related to me, Muni,
the creation of the gods and other beings. I am de¬
sirous, chief of sages, to hear from thee a more ample
account of their creation.

Par^iSara.— Created beings, although they are de¬
stroyed (in their individual forms) at the periods of
dissolution, yet, being affected by the good or evil acts
of former existence, they are never exempted from
their consequences; and, when Brahmd creates the
world anew, they are the progeny of his will, in the
fourfold condition of gods, men, animals, or inanimate
things. Bi'ahma then, being desii'ous of creating the
four orders of beings, termed gods, demons, progeni-

‘These five, O Brahmans, were Yogins, who acquired entire
exemption from passion:’ and the Hari Vamsa, although rather
"^Vaishnava than §aiva, observes, that the Yogins celebrate these
six, along with Kapila, in Yoga works:

wnif I

The idea seems to have been amplified also in the Saiva works;
for the Linga P. describes the repeated birth of Siva, or Vama-
deva, as a Kumdra, or boy, from Brahmd, in each Kalpa, who
again becomes four. Thus, in the twenty-ninth Kalpa, Sweta-
lohita is the Kumara; and he becomes Sananda, Nandana, Yiswa-
nanda, Upanandana; all of a white complexion: in the thirtieth,
the Kumdra becomes Yirajas, Vivdhu, Yiioka, Viiwabhdvana;
all of a red colour: in the thirty-first, he becomes four youths of
a yellow colour; and, in the thirty-second, the four Kumdras were
black. All these are, no doubt, comparatively recent additions to
the original notion of the birth of Budra and the Kumdras; itself
obviously a sectarial innovation upon the primitive doctrine of
the birth of the Prajdpatis or will-bom sons of Brahmd.

Stanza 12439.

80

VISHliU PDRiNA.

tors, and men, collected his mind into itself.^ Whilst
thus concentrated, the quality of darkness pervaded
his body; and thence the demons (the Asuras) were
first bom, issuing from his thigh. BrahmA then aban¬
doned that form which was composed of the rudiment
of darkness, and which, being deserted by him, became
night. Continuing to create, but assuming a different
shape, he experienced pleasure; and thence from his
mouth proceeded the gods, endowed with the quality
of goodness. The foinn abandoned by him became day,
in which the good quality predominates; and hence by
day the gods ai'e most powerful, and by night tlie de¬
mons. He next adopted another person, in which the
rudiment of goodness also prevailed; and, thinking of
himself as the father of the world, the progenitors (the

* These reiterated, and not always very congruous, accounts
of the creation ai*e explained, by the Pur^as, as referring to dif¬
ferent Kalpas or renovations of the world, and therefore involving
no incompatibility. A better reason for their appearance is, the
probability that they have been borrowed from different original
authorities. The account that follows is evidently modified by
the Yogi Saivas, by its general mysticism, and by the expressions
with which it begins:

‘Collecting lus mind into itself’, IJlft WTOw I according to the
comment, is the performance of the Yoga (Yiiyuje). The term
Ambhamsi, lit., ‘waters’, for the four orders of beings, gods, de¬
mons, men, and Pitfis, is, also, a peculiar, and, probably, mystic,
term. The commentator says it occurs in the Vedas, as a synonym
of gods, die.: Tt?rrf*T 1 ^

5^;. The VAyu PnrMa derives it from «n ’to shine’; be¬
cause the different orders of beings shine, or flourish, severally,
by moonlight, night, day, and twilight; ^TTf^

BdOK I., CHAP. V.

81

Pitfis) were born £pom his side.* The body, when he
abandoned it, became the Sandhyd (or evening twi¬
light), the interval between day and night. Brahmd
then assumed smother person, pervaded by the quality
of foulnes?; and jBx)m this, men, in whom foulness (or
passion) predominates, were produced. Quickly aban¬
doning that body, it became morning twilight, or the
dawn. At the appearance of this light of day, men
feel most vigour; while the progenitors are most power¬
ful in the evening season. In Ihis manner, Maitreya,
Jyotsn4(dawn), E4tri (night), Ahan (day), and Sandhy4
(evening) j are, the four bodies of Brahm4 invested by
the three quelities/

’ This account is given in sevei-al other ParAnas: in the Sdrma,
with more simpUdiy; ih the Padma, Linga, and with more
detail. The BhAgavata, ,as nsa^, ampliies stQl more cp^ihhslj,;
and mixes up mhdt! abSui^ly With the account. T^is, thp j^erson
of SandhyA, ‘evening twili^t*, is titiis described: “She appear^
with eyes rolling wlflit>assion, whilst her lotos-like feet sounded
with tinkling ornatoents; a muslin vest depended from her waist,
secured by a golden zone: her breasts were protuberant and dose
together; her nose was elegant; her teeth, beautifol; her face
was bright with smiles, and she modestly concealed it with the
skirts of her robe; whilst the dork curls dustoted ro^d hAr
brow.”t The Asaraei'addi:^ her,'kttd

82

VISBJilTJ PUBiNA.

Next, from Brah.m4, in a form composed of the quali¬
ty of foulness, 'Was produced hunger, of whom anger
was bom: and the god put forth, in darkness, bebgs
emaciate with hunger, of hideous aspects, and with
long beards. Those beings hastened to the deity. Such
of Ihem as exclaimed Oh preserve us I were, thence,
called E^hasas:^* others, who cried out Let us eat,

bride. To the four forme of our text the same work adds:
Tandid, ‘sloth’; Jrimbhana, *7awning’; NidiA, ‘sleep’; UnmAda,
,*insaiuty*; AatardhAna, ‘disappearance’; Pratibimba,f ‘reflexion’;
which become the property of PiAAchas, Eimnaras, Bhutas, Gan-
dharvas, TidyAdharas, SAdhyas, Pitris, and Manns. The notions
of night, day, twilight, and moonlight being derived from BrahmA
seem to have originated with the Vedas. Thas, the commentator
on the Bhigavata observes; vi Ml f d ^ «nfir-

l ‘That which wajs his body, and was left, was
darkness: this is the j^ruti.’ All the authorities place night before
day, and the Asuras or Titans, before the gods, in the order of
i^pearance; as did Hesiod and other ancient theogonists.

From Eaksh preserve.’

Those Mong ihem that called out ‘Not so: oh I let him be saved!’
were named Eikshasas.”

It is related, in the MdgavaktrpiErdila, IH, 20, 19-21, that Brahmi
transformed himself, into night, invested with a body. This the Takshas
and Bakshasas seiaed upon,, exclaiming “Bo not spare it; devour it.”
.Brahtui cried, out “Don’t dlevodr me; spare me.”

, The originai of, Brahma’s petition is; in iff I

■ For ,asi in See ,tlw ^r’s fburth note in

,the next page. _ ^ ',

' + SMgmoiirpwrdAa has % tern T^aMbmba

, ;WM9r^r|» Sw4iiua> elncidatio^, «£ it, , "

^ *>«“ auiwtitated>r Profcssor Wilson’s

BOOK I., CHAP. V.

83

■were denominated, from that espression, Yakshas.^
Beholding them so disgusting, the hairs of Brahmd*
were shrivelled up, and, first falling fi’om his head,
were again renewed upon it. From their falling, they
became serpents, called Sarpa, from their creeping
and Ahi, because they had deserted the head.® The
creator of the world, being incensed, tib^en created fierce
beings, who wei-e denominated goblins, Bhdtas (mar
lignant fiends), and eaters of flesh, f The Gandharvas
were next born, imbibing melody. Di*mking of the
goddess of speech, they were bom, and thence then*
appellation.*

. The divine Brahmli, influenced by their material
energies, having created these beings, made others of
his own will. Birds he formed from his vital vigour;
sheep, from his breast; goats, fi’om his mouth; kine,
from his belly and sides; and horses, elephants, Sarar
bhas, Gayals, deer, camels, mules, antelopes,* and other

‘ From Yaksh (^9r'|^»§ ‘to eat.’

* From Sfip (tl'^), Berpo, 'to creep’, and from HA (^), ‘to
abandon.’

* ©Alb dliayantall (aft ‘drinking speedbi.’

* Vedluu, in ibe Snskiil. ."> ;

t These creatures were "flends, ftighttU IMog ]iiiOnke7>ooliHa<^.'
and camltoronsi” '

§ PtofenflOf Wilpon’« liwit expression'Via taxi, answers to
jahhaAM; Aioeordiiig. to , the ooittnwntator, this word moans sating'*;
for ho takes MfA, a aubstitute The sense of

yahhy olassleal Samrblit,, Is'^fo venorateV ' .

For the cl6riTa&>a;'<^ ttie wofds rdk6ha$<» and yaksha^ seo the
purMOf Pilot Bectioa, LXXb, itnd 226.

84

YiSHisrD pubXna.

animals, from his feet; whilst from the hairs of his
body sprang herbs, roots, and fr’uits.

Brahmd, having created, in the commencement of
theE^alpa, various* plants, employed them in saci’ifices,
in the beginning of the Tret4 age. Animals were dis¬
tinguished into two classes, domestic (village) and wild
(forest). The first class contamed the cow, the goat,
the hog,f the sheep, the horse, the ass, the mule; the
latter*, all beasts of prey, t and many animals with cloven
hoofs, the elephant, and the monkey. The fifth order
were the birds; the sixth, aquatic animals; and the
seventh, reptiles and insects.

Fi’Om his eastern mouth BrahmA then created the
Grdyatra metre, the fog-veda, the collection of hymns
termed Trivf’it, the Rathantai*a poi’tion of the S4ma-
veda, and the Agnishtoma sacrifice: from his southern
mouth he ci’eated the Yajur-veda, the Ti’aishtubha
metre, the collection of hymns called Panchadasa, the
Bf'ihat S4man, and the portion of the S4ma-veda
termed Ukthya: from his western mouth he created

‘ This and the preceding enumeration of the origin of vege¬
tables and animals occurs in several Purdnas, predsely in the
same words. The Linga adds a specification of the Arafiya or
wild animals, which are said to be the bufialo, gayal, bear,
monkey, ^arabha, wolf, and lion.

* Insert “saciificial animals'’, paiu.

t The MSS. consulted by me have “man” jmrusha. The commentator
observes, that, in the narcHitedlta, or human sacrifice, man is accounted
a saodfieial animal His voids ate: I W-

X ^ipada.

$ “Reptiles and insecta”, tarisHpa,

BOOK I., CHAP. V.

85

line S4ma-veda, the Jagatf meti'e, the collection of
hymns termed Saptada4a, the poition of the Sdman
called Vaii’iipa, and the Atii’toa sacidfice: and from his
noi’thern mouth he created the Ekaviu^a collection of
hymns, the Atharva-veda, the Aptory4man rite, the
Anushtubh metre, and the Vairdja portion of the Sima-
veda.^*

’ This specification of the parts of the Vedas that proceed
from Brahma occurs, in the same words, in the V4yu, Linga,
Karma, Padma, and Markandeya Paratias. The Bhagavata offers
some important varieties: ‘‘From his eastern and other mouths
ho created the llich, Vajus, Siiman, and Atharva Vedas; the
Sastra (iDT^) or Hhe imutterod incantation’; Ijyi ‘obla¬
tion’; Stuti and Stoma ‘prayers’ and ^hymns’;

and Prayaschitta (HT^rf^SP^), ‘expiation’, or ‘sacred philosophy’
(Brahma): also the Vedas of medicine, arms, music, and me¬
chanics; and the Itihdsas and Paranas, which arc a fifth Veda:
also the portions of the Vedas called Shodasin, Ukthya, Purishin,
Agnishiut, Aptoryaman, Atiratra, Vajapeya, Gosava;t the four

* It is on the authority of the commentator, as supplementing the
text, that Gayatra and Aniwhthbli are here said to be metres; that
Agnisbfoma, AiirAtra, and iiptoiyaman are taken to denote parts of a
sacrifice, owf., of the Jyotishfoma; and that Yairupa and Yairija dono-
miuaio sundry versos of the Sdma-yeda. But the commentator also says
that Ukthya is, hore, a stage of a sacrifice: He means

the Jyotishfoma.

As to AptoryjimaD, both in the VisMu-purdfia and in the Bhagavata^
it is to bo regard^ as a Paurdfiik alteration of the Yaidik Aptorydma.

For Yairfipa and Yairaja, see Benfey’s Index to tho Sdma-voda: Indisclte
Vol. III., p, 238.

Professor Wilson's “Gdyatri", “Trishtubh”, and “Uktha” have been
corrected to Gayatra, Traishfubha, and Ukthya.

See, regarding the passage thus annotated, Original Sanskrit Texts,
Part III., pp, 0 and 7.

t These are not characterized, in tho original, as ‘‘portions of the
VedasThey are sacrificial proebedings.

86

YTSHlhJ PUEil^A.

In this manner, all creatures, great or small, pro¬
ceeded fi’oui his limbs. The great progenitor of the

parts of virtue, purity, liberality, piety, and truth; the orders of
life, and their institutes and different religious rites and pro¬
fessions; and the sciences of logic, ethics, and polity. > The mystic
words and monosyllable proceeded from his heart; the metre
Ushnih, from the hairs of his body; Gayatri, from his skin;
Trishtubh, from his flesh; Anushiubh, from his tendons; Jagati,
from his bones; Pankti, from his marrow; Bfihati, from his breath.
The consonants were his life; the vowels, his body; the sibilants,
his senses; the semi-vowels, his vigour.”* This mysticism, al¬
though, perhaps, expanded and amplifled by thePanraniks, appears
to originate with the Vedas; as in the text I ‘The

metre was of the tendons.’ The different portions of the Vedas
specified in the text are yet, for the most part, uuinvestigated.

* Bhagaiooitarpurdna, III., 12, 37-41 and 44-47:

WPWI II

Ti:«r ^ i?r%i4sT: ii
Tnr: ^ ^ i

f^wiki<<j411 irart?!; ii

^p»<'i^fii'(^ <iTOiJt 8 C*<i ' ^ ^ ^ n»na(>n ; I

BOOK I., CHAP. V.

87

world, having formed the gods, demons, and Pitfis,* * * §
created, in the commencement of the Kalpa, the Ya-
kshas, Pi^dchas (goblins), Gandharvas, and the ti’oops
of Apsarasas, the nymphs of heaven, Faras (centaurs,
or beings with the limbs of horses and human bodies),
and Kimnaras (beings f with the heads of horses), Ed-
kshasas, birds, beasts, deer, serpents, and all things
permanent or transitoxy, movable or immovable. This
did the divine Brahmd, the first creator and lord of
all. And these things, being created, discharged the
same functions as they had fulfilled in a pi'evious cx’ea-
tion,t whether malignant or benign, gentle or cruel,
good or evU, true or false; and, accordingly as they
are actuated by such px'opensities, will be their conduct.

And the creator § displayed infinite vaiiety in the
objects of sense, in the propert.ies of living things, and
in the forms of bodies. He determined, in the beginning,
by the authority of the Vedas, tlie names and foi’ms
and functions of all creatures, and of the gods; and the
names and appi*opi*iate offices of the ilishis, as they
.also are read in the Vedas. 11

In like manner as the products of the seasons de¬
signate, in periodical i*evolution, the return of the
same season, so do the same circumstances indicate
the I’ecuxTence of the same Yuga or age; and thus, in
the beginning of each Kalpa, does Brahma repeatedly
create the world, possessing the power that is derived

* Add mamtshya*

t Literally, “men'^ maumhya.

\ See Origmal Sanskrit Tesets^ Pari L, p. 21,

§ Supply DMtfi, a name of Brahmi.

II See driyinal Sanskrit Testis^ Part III., p. 4, second foot-note.

88

VISESrU PURANA.

from the will to create, and assisted by the natural and
essential faculty of the object to be created.*

^Tfw wr II

ffS 5 gw: i

II

in &)ery season, multifarious tokens are, in torn, bekeld ibeteof, so,
at the beginnings of the Yngas, it is with ihdr products. Possessed of the
desire and of the power to create, and impelled by the potencies of what
is to be created, again and again does he, at the outset of a Kalpa, put
forth a similar creation.*’

The writer may haTe had in mind a stanza of the Mdnava-dhmnor
bdslgra,: I,, SO.

CHAPTER VI.

Origin of the four castes: their primitivo state. Progress of
society. Different kinds of grain. Efficacy of sacrifice. Duties
of men: regions assigned them after death.

Maitreya. —Thou hast briefly noticed, illustrious
sage, the creation termed Ai'vdksrotas, or that of man¬
kind. Now explain to me more fully how'Brahmd
accomplished it; how he created the four different
castes;* what duties he assigned to the Brahmans and
the rest.^

pARii§AitA.—Formerly, 0 best of Brahmans, when
the truth-meditatmgf Brahm4 was desirous of creating
the world, there sprang, from his mouth, beings espe¬
cially endowed with the quality of goodness; others,
from his breast, pervaded by the quality of foulness;
others, from his thighs, in whom foulnesB and darkness
prevailed; and others, from his feet, in whom the quali¬
ty of darkness predominated. These were, in suc¬
cession, beings of the several castes,—Brahmans, Kshar
triyas, Vaisyas, and Siidras; produced from the mouth,

' The creation of mankind here described is rather out of its
place, as it precedes the birth of the Prajapatis, or their pro¬
genitors. But this want of method is common to the Pnr4£as,
and is evidence of their being compilations from various sources.

* Add “and with what qualities”: I

t SatyShuffdyiit, “true to his will.” The commentator here, for the
second time, explains it by todya-tcmkalpa. See my second note in
p. 73, tupra.

90

VISHNU PUhXnA.

the breast, the thighs, and the feet, of Brahmd. ^ These
he created for the perfomance of sacrifices; the fom*
castes being the fit instruments of their celebration.*
By saciifices, 0 thou who knowest the ti’uth, the gods
ai’e nourished; and, by the rain which they bestow,
mankind are supported:® and thus sacrifices, the source
of happiness, ai*e peifonned by pious men, attached to
their duties, attentive to presciibed obligations, and
walking in the paths of vhtue. Men acquire (by them)
heavenly fruition, or final felicity: they go, after death,
to whatever sphere they aspire to, as the consequence
of their human natm-e. The beings who wei’e created
by Brahin^, of these four castes, were, at fii’st, endowed
with righteousness and perfect faith; they abode whei'-
ever they pleased, unchecked by any impediment; their
hearts were free fr'om guile; they were pure, made free
from soil, by observance of sacred institutes. In them
sanctified minds Hari dwelt; and they were filled with
peifect wisdom, by which they contemplated the glory

* This original of the four castes is given in Manu,f and in
most of tile Pnrinas. We shall see, however, that the distinctions
are snbseqnentlj ascribed to volnntaiy election, to accident, or
to positive institutions.

* According to Mann, oblations ascend to and nourish the
sun; whence the rain falls upon earth, and causes tho growth of
com. ♦ Bumt-offerings are, therefore, the final causes of the support
of mankind.

* See Origiml Sanskrit Texts, Part L, pp. 21 and 22.
t In the Mdnam-dliwrniaridstra, I, 31, the Kshatriya is said to have

p»c6e<M Item the arms of Bralmi, And so state the Pmahorrikta
Of tne mg^eda^ &c,

X Mdmv<hdharmcM8traf HI., 76.

BOOK L, CHAP. VI.

91

of VisliAu.^ After a wliile, (after the Treta age had
continued for some period), that portion of Hari which
has been described as one with Kala (time) infused into
created beings sin, as yet feeble, though formidable,
or passion and the like—the impediment of souFs libera¬
tion, the seed of iniquity, sprung from darkness and
desire. The innate perfectness of human nature was
then no more evolved: the eight kinds of perfection,
Rasolkisa and the rest, were impaired;^ and, these

’ This description of a pure race of beings is not of general
" occurrence in ilie Paninas. It seems here to bo abridged from a
mucli more detailed account iu the Brahmanda, Vayu, and Mar-
kaiidcya Puraiias. In those works, Brahma is said to create, iu
the beginning of the Kalpa, a tliousand pairs of each of tlio four
classes of mankind, who enjoy perf<*ct happiness during the Kf*ita
age, and only gradually become subjiict to infirmities, as the
Trelil or scconrl age advances.

® These eight perfections or Siddhis arc not the supernatural
faculties obtained by the performance of the Yoga. They are
described, the commentator says, in the Skanda and other works;
and from them he lixtracts their description; 1. RasoUilsa, the
spontaneous or prompt (‘.volution cjf the juices of the body, inde-
jxuuhmtly of nutriment from without; Si. Tiipti, mental satisfac¬
tion, or fre(‘.(lom from sensual desire; 3. Harayu, sameness of
d(»gree; 4. Tulyata, similarity of life, form, and feature: 5. Vi<5okd,
(exemption alike from infirmity or grief: C. Consummation of
penance and meditation, by attainment of true knowledge: 7. The
power of going everywhere at will; 8. The faculty of reposing
at any time or in any place.* These attributes are alluded to,

** T add ibo text IVoiu MSS. at my disposal. To judge j&om Professor
Wilson’s translation, his text must have been rather difi^erent.

92

VISHNU PUldliA,

being enfeebled, and sin gaining strength, mortals were
afflicted with pain, arising from susceptibility to con-
frasts, (as heat and cold, and the like) * They therefore
constructed places of refuge, protected by trees, by
mountains, or by water; surrounded them by a ditch
or a waU, and fomed villages and cities; and in them
erected appropriate dwellings, as defences against the
sun and the cold.* Having thus provided security

though obscurely, in the Vayu, and are partly specified in the
Markaiideya Parana, f

' In the other three Puranas, in which tliis legend has been
found, the different kinds of inhabited places are specified and
introduced by a series of land measm-es. Thus, the Markaiideya I
states that 10 Paramdnus - 1 Parasukshma; 10 Parasukshxnas -
1 Trasarenu; 10 Trasarenus = 1 particle of dust or Mtihirajas;

it

’?rsafl‘ HtwT ^snur^pr ii

* See Original Sanskrit T&Os, Part I., pp. 22 and 23.

+ XLDC., 18, ei seg. J XLLX., 38-40:

^rpiT^rPr JTOwrf% ^ ii

wnf : ^ ^ I

?«»»Ka<j*iii*(ii. 54 <n« 4 i 8 l I

t^rrWItpf II
It TWT iwt I

^inN ’*r II

^ I

iffiTfr ’ll inll; n

BOOK I., CHAP, Vr.

9S

against tlie weather, men next began to employ them¬
selves in manual labour, as a means of livelihood, (and

10 Mahirajasas = 1 Bdldgra, ‘hair’s point’; 10 Balagras = 1 Likliya;
10 LikhyAs = 1 Yuka; 10 Yukas = 1 heart of barley (Yavodara);
10 Yavodaras = 1 grain of barley of middle size; 10 barley-grains
= 1 finger, or inch; 6 fingers = a Pada or foot (the breadth of it);
2 Padas = 1 Yitasti or span; 2 spans = 1 Hasta or cubit; 4 Hastas
= a Bhanus, a Dan da or staff, or 2 Nddikds; 2000 Dhanusas =
a Gavyuti; 4 Gavyiitis = a Yojana. The measurement of the
Brahmdnda is less detailed. A span from the thumb to the first
finger is a Pradesa; to the middle finger, a Tala;^ to the third
finger, a Gokarna; and, to the little finger, a Yitasti, which is
equal to twelve Angelas or fingers; understanding, thereby, ac-
’ cording to the Ydyu, a joint of the finger (^^^41 nil)* Accord¬
ing to other authorities, it is the breadth of the thumb at the tip.

For this passage, I have used manuscripts, in preference to the Calcutta
edition of the MdrlcaMeya-purdiia. According to my text, tho measures
noted are as follows:

A parammlu is a para sdkdlmiay ultimate minimum; or the sense
may be

8 parcmdnu
8 para sdkshma
8 trasare/iu
8 7nahirqja3
8 hdldgra
8 liksM
8 yi^d
8 yavodesra
6 cmgula
2 pada
2 •oUasti
4 hmta
2 dhanurdaMa
2000 diutnva
2 hroia
4 gavytiti

para silksJitm.
trasaretiu.
iTwhh’ajas.
hdldgra.
likshd,
ydhd.

= 1 yavodara.

= 1 angula.

= 1 pada.

=i 1 vitasti.

= 1 hasta, long cubit
= 1 dhanurdadda, bow-sta£

=: 1 ndltkd,
s= 1 hroda.

= 1 gavydti.

= 1 yqfana.

Compare Oolebrooke^ Asiatic Searches, Yob V., pp. 103 and 104,
Corrected from Professor Wilson’s “NAla”.

94

VISBNU PURANA.

cultivated) the seventeen kinds of useful grain—^rice,
bai'ley, wheat, millet, sesamum, panic,*' and vaiious

(A. R., Vol.y., 104.) TheVayu, giving similar measurements,f upon
the authority of Manu^ although such a

statement does not occur in the Manu Samhita, adds, that 21
fingers=1 Ratni; 24 fingers=1 Hasta or cubit j 2 Ratnis= 1 Bjsbkn;
4 Hastas = 1 Bhanus; 2(X)0 Dhanusas = 1 Gavyutij and 8000 Dha-
nusas = l Yojana. Durgas or stronghold are of four kinds; three
of which are natural, from their situation in mountains, amidst
water, or in other inaccessible spots. The fourth is the artificial
defences of a village (Grama), a hamlet (Kheiaka), or a city
(Pura or Nagara), which are, severally, half the size of the next
in the seiies. The best kind of city is one which is about a mile
long by half a mile broad, built in the form of a pai'allelogram,
facing the north-east, and surrounded by a high wall and ditch.
A hamlet should be a Yojana distant from a city; a village, half
a Yojana from a hamlet. The roads leading to the cardinal points
from a city should be twenty Dhanusas (above 100 feet) broad:

* “Millet*’ and “panic”, dm and 'prryangu,

t ITT^ ^3^ \

T5r: ^rr^fiiTf^C-^rt?) ^ \

It

t ^ II

w 7rf4Wr I

t In one of the four MSS. of the Vdyu^wrda that I have consulted,
the verses Q^uoied in the last note are introduced by a stanza and a half,
at the beginning of which are the words WlUITPi I But

these words mean nothing; and there is no reference to Mann. We here
simply have a clerical error, in place of tb^ opening words of the passage
cited, in p. 92, from the Mdk^eyoHjywdM. The farementioned MS, of
the VdyurfW'dAa must have been transcribed from a somewhat ancient
copy, or feoih one in the Bengali character.

BOOK I., CHAP. VI.

95

sorts of lentils, beans, and pease. ^ These are the kinds
cultivated for domestic use. But there are fouiiieen
kinds* which may be offered in sacrifice. They are: rice,
barley, MAsha, wheat, millet, and sesamum; Priyangu
is the seventh, and Kulatthaka, pulse, the eighth. The
others are; ^yAmaka, a sort of panic; NfvAra, unculti¬
vated rice; Jartila, wild sesamum; GavedhukA (coix
barbata); Maikataka, wild panic; and (a plant called)
the seed or barley of the Bambu (Vehuyava).f These,

a village road should be the same; a boundary road, ten Dha-
nusas: a royal or principal road or street should be ten Dhanusas
(above fifty feet) broad: a cross or branch road should be four
Dhanusas. Lanes and paths amongst the houses are two Dhanusas
in breadth; footpaths, four cubits; the entrance of a house, three
cubits; the private entrances and paths about the mansion, of still
narrower dimensions. + Such were the measurements adopted by
the first builders of cities, according to the PurAnas specified.

* These are enumerated in the text, as well as in the VAyu
and MArkanAeya Puranas, and are: UdAra, a sort of grain \^ith
long stalks (perhaps a holcus);^Koradusha (Paspalum kora);
Chinaka, a sort of panic (Paspalum miliaceum); MAsha, kidney
bean (Phaseolus radiatus); Mudga (Phaseolus mungo); Masura,
lentil (Ervum hirsutum); NishpAva, a sort of pulse; Kulatthaka
(Dolichos biflorus); AAhaki (Oytisus ctganus); ChaAaka, chick
pea (Oicer arietinum); and 6ana (Crotolaria).

* Supply cultivated and wild”, I

t The MdirkaMeya^urMa^ XLIX., 70, et seq,^ omits mdsha, bht, by
compensation, inserts hmtbinda between gavedhvM and The

MSS, I have seen of that PurAAa afford no warrant for such readings of
the edition, in the BhbUoUheoa Indica as yc^Ula for^ar^^a, ved/ugradka
for veiktyavOi and, in the preceding list, gada for ioAa*

The VdyuryurMi^ though professing to name dnly fourteen vegetable
productions that' may be used in, sacridoe, 'A^tnes all that are mentioned
in the VtshAu-jmrehkt, and one moce.^ The fifteenth is bun/lmda*
t XUS.*, 41 , ^

96

vismhr puaXiSfA.

cultivated or wild, ai'e tlie fourteen gi*ains that were
pi’oduced for purposes of offering in sacrifice; and
sacrifice (the cause of rain) is their origin also. They,
again, with sacrifice, are the great cause of the pei"^
petuation of the human race; as those understand who
can discriminate cause and effect. Thence sacrifices
were offered daily; the performance of which, 0 best
of Munis, is of essential service to mankind, and ex¬
piates the offences of those by whom they are obseiwed.
Those, however, in whose hearts the drop of sin de¬
rived from Time (K41a) was still more developed, as¬
sented not to sacrifices, but reviled both them and all
that resulted from them, the gods, and the foUowei’s
of the Vedas. Those abusers of the Vedas, of evil
disposition and conduct, and seceders from the path
of enjoined duties, were plunged in wickedness.^*

The means of subsistence having been provided for
the beings he had created, Brahmd prescribed laws
suited to their station and faculties, the duties of the
several castes and orders,"^ and the regions of those of

’ This allnsion to the sects hostile to the Vedas—Buddhists or
Jiunas—does not occur in the parallel passages of the Vdyu and
Mdrkandeya Pnranas.

* The Ydyu goes further than this, and states that the castes
were now first divided ^cording to their occupations; having,
indeed, previously stated that there was no such distinction in
the Ejrita age:

Brahmi now appointed those who were robust and violent to be
4 Kshatriyas, to protect the rest; those who were pure and pious he
made Brahmans; those who were of less power, but industrious^

See Origml Samshrit Teais, Part L, p. 23-

BOOK I., CBAP. Vr.

97

tlie cliffei'ent castes who wei'e observant of theh’ duties.*
The heaven of the Piti*is is the region of deyout Brah¬
mans; the sphere of Indra, of Kshatiiyas who fly not
from the field. The I’egiou of the wmds is assigned to
the Vaisyas who are diligent hi then* occupations; and
submissive Sildras are elevated to the sphere of the
Grandharvas. Those Brahmans who lead religious lives
go to the world of the eighty-eight thousand saints;
and that of the seven Ilishis is the seat of pious an-
chorel^i and hermits. The world of ancestoi’s is that
of respectable householders; and the region of Brahma

and iulilidod lu cull!vatu the ground, he made Vaiiyaa; whilst
the feeble and poor of spirit were constituted f^iidras. And he
assigned them tlieir Hoveriil occupations, to prevent that inter¬
ference with one anotlier which had occurred as lung as they re¬
cognised no duties peculiar to castes, f

* See Origiml Samkril TaxHt, Part I., p. 23. The original has Prajd
pall ill place of “Brahmd”. “Orders” renders Affama,

fMrsnwr ii

% II

#»rrarr i

f trprrar; ii

W. II

’si#Nr I

’anCBTW M II

For anotlior translation of this passage, and several various readings,
see Origitml Semkrit TexUt Part L, pp. 80 and 31.

1.

7

98

VISHNU PimiNA.

is the asylum of religions mendicants. The imperish¬
able region of the Yogins is the highest seat of Vishhu,
where they perpetually meditate upon the supreme
being, f with minds intent on him alone. The sphere
where they reside the gods themselves cannot behold. I
The sun, the moon, the planets,§ shall repeatedly be
and cease to be; but those who internally repeat the
mystic adoration of the divinity shall never know decay.

* These -worlds, some of which will be more particularly
described in a different section, are the seven Lokas or spiieres
above the earth: 1. Prdjapatya or Fitfi-loka: 2. Indra-loka or
Swarga: 3. Maml-loka or Diva-loka, heaven: 4. Qaiidharva-loka,
the region of celestial spints; also called Mahar-loka: 5. Jaiia-
loka or the sphere of saints. Some copies read eighteen tliousandj
others, as in the text, which is also the reading of the Padina
Purada: 6. Tapo-loka, the world of the seven sages: and 7. Brahiua-
loka or Satya-loka, the world of iiifiuite wisdom and truth. Tin* * * §
eighth, or high world of Vishnu, | is a sectarial

addition, which, in the Bhdgavata, is called Vaikuiiflia, and, iu
the Brahma Vaxvarta, Go-loka; both, apparently, and, most cer¬
tainly, the last, modern inventions.

* “Heaven of the Pitfis” and “world of ancestors”: in tho original,
Prdjapatya. “Region of the winds” and “sphere of the Gandharvas”,
Mamta and Gdndharva. “Brahmans who lead religious lives”,
which the commentator explains as meaning conventuals abiding for life
with a spiritual guide, and devoted to theology. They are said to inherit
the region of the VAlikhilyas and other high saints. ‘‘Pious anchorets
and hermits”, vmaukaa; the same as vdnaprastfui, “Religious mendi¬
cants”, nydain; one with The original leaves “hoiisoholdens”

unqualified.

f Brahma, in the Sanskrit.

t Such MSS. as I hare consulted exhibit tho reading:

§ “The sun, the moon, and other planets ” The original is in the
note following.

BOOK I., CHAP. VI.

99

Foi’ those who neglect theii* duties, who revile the
Vedas, and ohstriict religious rites, the places assigned,
after death, are the terrific regions of darkness, of deep
gloom, of i'car, and of great terror, the feaa’fiil hell of
sharp swords, the hell of scourges and of a waveless

* Tliu diviHioiis f)f Naraka or hell, here named, are again more
particularly eniiinerahjtl, b. IL, c. 0.

wr ami w: i

'^RTfiT ^ ; II

^ ' 4wTr»H^a % ii

The of twelve syllables”,—l*rofes«ot Wi lson|s

"niysUo adoration of llm divinity", -consists of the words *1*?!
’!T5^’*rRl I Also sen the Professor’s Siimkrit Dictionary, nuk

wcc

CHAPTER VIL

Creation continued. Production of the mind-born sons of Brahma;
of the Prajdpatis; of Sanandana and others; of Eudra and the
eleven Rudras; of the Mann Swdyaihbhuva and his wife J^ata-
rupa; of their children. The daughters of Daksha, and their
marriage to Dharma and others. The progeny of Dharma and
Adharma. The perpetual succession of worlds, and different
modes of mundane dissolution.

ParXiSara. —From Brahm^ continuiug to itieflitaU*,
were bom mind-engendered progeny, with forms and
faculties derived from his coiporeal nature; embodied
spirits,produced from thepersou* of that all-wiscf deity.
All these beings, from the gods to inanimate things, a])-
peai-ed as I have related to you; * being the abode of the
three (Qualities. But, as they did notimiltiply tlieinselves,
Brahm^. created other mind-born sous, like himself;
namely: Bhrigu, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Angiras,
Marlchi, Daksba, Ati-i, and Vasishiha. These are the.
nine Brahmds (or Brahmarshis) celebrated iji the Pu-
r4has.®+ Sanandana and the other sons of Brahm4§

' It is not clear which of the previous uarrativoH is lioro ro-
ferred to; but it seems most probable that the account in pp. 70-72
is intended.

* Considerable varieiy prevails in this list of Pnydpatis, Broli-
maputras, Brahmds, or Brahmarshis; but the variations are of

* Literally, "limbs", gdtra.

t DUmat*

X See Original Samkrit TescUt^ Part I., pp, 24, 26, atid 80.
§ Yedhas, in the Sanskrit.

BOOK 1.5 CHAP. VH.

101

were previously created by bim. But they were witliout
desire or passion, insphed with holy wisdom, estranged

the nature of additions made to an apparently original enumera¬
tion of but seven, whose names generally recur. Thus, in the
Mahabharata, Moksha Bharma, we have, in one place, Marichi,
Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, and Vasishfha:

*tho seven high-minded sons of the self-born BrahmA’ In another
place of the same, however, we have Daksha substituted for
Vasishtha;

^ Ht

* Brahma then created mind-begotten sons, of whom Daksha was
the soventli, with Marichi % <&c. These seven sons of Brahma are
also identified with the seven Bishis; as in the Vayu;

^^rqirr: wnw: 1

13^ n

although, with palpable inconsistency, eight are immediately
enumerated; or: Bhfigu, Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha,
Kratu, and Vasishfha. The Uttara Khaiida of the Padma Purana
substitutes Kardama for Vasishtha. The BhAgavata includes
Daksha, enumerating nine, t The Matsya agrees with Mann, in
adding Narada to the list of our text. The Kurina Purina adds
Dharnia and Sankalpa. The Linga, Brahmiiida, and Vayu Pu-
rarias also add them, and extend the list to Adharma and Euchi.
The Hari Vaifisa, in one place, inserts Gautama^ and, in another,
Manu. Altogether, therefore, wo hive s^venteen^ instead of seven.
But the accounts given of the origin of several of fliese show
that they were not, originally, included amongst the Minasaputras
or sons of Brahmi’s mind; for even Daksha, who:finds a i|)lace
in all the lists except one of those given in the MabAbhirata, is

♦ &(biti-parvan, 7660, 7ji7ps and see iSOtii. v
t Md., 7534. , : ' / w. . ^

t The SMgavaia^pwMa, HI., 12, 23, inolndes Daksha and Narada;

thus enumerating ten.

102

VISHNU rUR^NA,

from the nnivei^se, and iindesirous of progeny. This
when Brahma perceived, he was filled witli wrath

uniformly said to have sprung from Brahma’s thumb: and the
same patriarch, as well as Dharma, is included, in some accounts,
as in the Bhagavata and Matsya Purdrias, amongst a different
series of Brahmtl’s progeny, or ^^^tues and vices; or: Daksha
(dexterity), Dharma (virtue), Kama (desire), ELrodha (passion),
Lobha (covetousness), Moha (infatuation), Mada (insanity), Pra-
moda (pleasure), Mfityu (death), and Angaja (lust). Tliese arc
severally derived from different parts of Brahma’s body; and the
Bhag&vata, adding Kardama (soil, or sin) to tills enumeration,
makes him spring from Brahma’s shadow. The simple statement
tliat the first Prajdpatis sprang from the mind, or will, of Brahma,
lias not contented the depraved taste of the mystics; and, in some
of the PurAnas, as the Bhdgavata, Linga, and Vdyu, they also
are derived from the body of their progenitor; or: Bhfigu, from
his skin; Marfchi, from his mind; Atri, from his eyes; Angiras,
from his mouth; Pulastya, from his ear; Pulaha, from his navel;
Kratu, from his hand; Yasishfiia, from his breath; Daksha, from
his thumb; and Narada, from his hip. They do not exactly agree,
however, in the places whence tliese lieings proceed; as, for in¬
stance, according to the Linga, Marichi springs from Brahma’s
eyes, not Atri, who, there, proceeds, instead of Pulastya, from
his ears. The Vdyu has, also, another account of their origin,
and states them to have sprung from the fires of a sacrifice offered
by BrahmA; an allegorical mode of expressing their probable
original,—considering them to be, in some degree, real persons,—
from the Brahmanical ritual, of which they were the first institu-
tors and observers. The YAyu Purdfia also states, that, besides
the seven primitive foshis, the Prajdpatis are numerous, and
specifies Kardama, Ka^yapa, 6eeha, Yikrdnta, Susravas, Bahu-
putra, Kumdra, Yivaswat, Suchiiravas, Prdchetasa (Daksha),
Arishfanemi, Bahula. These and many others were Prajdpatis:

In the beginning of Mahdbhdrata(Adi Parvan), we have, again,
a different origin; and, first, Daksha, the son of the Prachotasas, it

BOOK I., CHAP. VII.

lO.S

capable of consuming the thi’ee worlds, the flame of
which invested, like a gai’land, heaven, eartli, and heU.
Then from his forehead, darkened with angiy frowns,
sprang Rudi’a,^ radiant as the noon-tide sun, fierce,

is said, had seven sons, after whom the twenty-one Prajapatis were
bom, or appeared. According to the commentator, the seven sons of
Daksha were the allegorical persons Krodha, Tamas, Dama, Vi-
krita,Angiras,Kardama, andAswa; and the twenly-one Prajdpatis,
the seven usually specified,—Marichi and the rest,—and the fourteen
Manus. This looks like a blending of the earlier and later notions.

' Besides this general notice of the origin of Rudra and his
separate forms, we have, in the next chapter, an entirely differ¬
ent set of beings so denominated; and the eleven alluded to in
the text are also more particularly enumerated in a subsequent
chapter. The origin of Rudra, as one of the agents in creation,
is described in most of the Purdnas. The Mahdbharata, indeed,
refers his origin to Vishnu; representing him as the personification
of his anger, whilst Brahma is that of his kindness:

^ % ?ranr i

i

The Kurina Puriliia makes him proceed from Brahma’s mouth,
whilst engaged in meditating on creation. The Varaha Purdna
makes this appearance of Rudra the consequenee of a promise
ma<le by Siva to Brahmd, that he would become his son. In the
parallel passages in other Purdnas, the progeny of the Rudra
created by Brahmd is not confined to the eleven, but comprehends
infinite numbers of beings, in person and equipments like their
parent; until Brahmd, alarmed at their fierceness, numbers, and
immortality, desires his son Rudra, or, as the Matsya calls him,
Vdmadova, to form creatures of a different and mortal nature.
Rudra refusing to do this, desists; 'Whence his name Sthdnu, from
Sthd, ‘to stay’. Linga, Vdyu Pnrdiias, &c.

4^.- . j V', "JST- ra:;...trracja rv;iMWu.ag.w:T;'^Jt!:wBXVjnw , ffte g=as:-'=sa ^^ - —

* Mah^hdraia, Sdni^fman, I314(k7,

104

VISHNC PURAlSfA.

and of vast bulk, and of a figure which was half male,
half female. Separate yourself, Brahma said to him,
and, having so spoken, disappeared; obedient to which
command, Eudra became twofold, disjoining his male
and female natures. His male being he again divided
into eleven persons, of whom some were agi’eeahle,
some hideous; some fierce, some mild.* And he multi¬
plied his female nature manifold, of complexions black
or white,

Then Brahmd^ created, himself the Manu Sw4yanx-

^ According to the VAyu, the female became, first, twofold,
or one half white, and the other, black; and each of these, jigain,
becomes manifold, being the various energies or Saktis of Maha-
deva, as stated by the Kurma, after the words : f^:\

which axe those of onr text:

The Linga and Vayu specify many of their names. Those of
the white complexion, or mild nature, include Lakshmf, Saraswati,
Gauxi, Uma, &c.; those of the dark hue, and fierce disposition,
Durga, Kali, Chandi, Mahardtri, and others.

^ Brahmd, after detaching from himself the property of angtu*,
in the form of Eudra, converted himself into two persons, the
first male, or the Manu Swdyaifibhuva, and the first woman, or
^atardp^ So, in the Vedna: T|?rrarT ^
himself was indeed (his) son. ’ The commoncciuenl of production
through sexual agency is here described with sufficient dislinct-
nessj but the snbject has been rendered obscure by a more coni-

* According to the commentator, “fierce” and “mild” are oxonomlioal
of “agreeable” and ‘fiiideons”.
t See Original Samhril Temts, Part IV., p. 331.

X Tto q notation re quires to be slightly altered. The commeutalor,
after citiu^ fiom the ViMuriiuTfUa, proceeds: %

I These words, ending with are

from the aatapa^torbrd^maiia, XIV., 9 , i, 26,

BOOK r., CHAP. VII.

105

bliuva, born of, and identical with, his original self,
for the protection of created beings: and the female

plicated succession of agents, and, especially, by the introduction
of a person of a mythic or mystical character, Viraj. The notion
is thus expressed in Manu: “Having divided his own substance,
the mighty power Brahma became half male and half female;
and from that female he produced Virilj. Know me to be that
person whom the male Virdj produced by himself.” 1. 32, 33.*
We have, therefore, a series of Brahmd, Viraj, and Manu, instead
of Brahma and Manu only; also the generation of progeny by
Brahma, begotten on Satarupa, instead of her being, as in our
text, the wife of Manu. The idea seems to have originated with
the Vedas, as Kulluka Bhaffa quotes a text: THTt I

‘Then (or thence) Vinij was born’. The procreation of progeny
by Brahma, however, is at variance with the whole system,
which, almost invaidably, refers his creation to the operation of
his will: and the expression, in Manu, ^ *

‘ he created Viraj in her’, does not necessarily imply sexual inter-

“^course. Viraj also creates, not begets, Manu. And in neither
instance does the name of ^atarupA occur. The commentator on
Manu, however, understands the expression Asfijat to imply the
procreation of Virdj: I and the same interpretation

is given by the Matsya Purdua, in which the incestuous passion
of Brahniil for ^atanipa,—his daughter, in one sense, his sister,
in another,—is described; and by her he begets Viraj, who there
is called, not the progenitor of Manu, but Manu himself:

TRf: *irT^ »r??rr i

tRi wrw: h iit

./This, therefore, agrees with our text, as far as it makes Manu
the son of Brahmd, though not as to the nature of the connexion.

'W 'rrO TTOf ^ it

^ Red I id fli«reTO*n: ii

f MatsyorpurdulOf 111,, 49, 50.

106

VrSH^ FCIRAl^A.

portion of himself he constitated Satai'dpd, whom
austerity purified from the sm (of forbidden nuptials),

The reading of the Agni and Padma Pur^nas is that of the
Vishnu: and the Bhdgavata agrees with it, in one place; stating,
distinctly, that the male half of Brahmd was Manu, the other
half, ^atariipa:

Bhagavata, III., 12, 53, 64: and, although the production of Viraj
is elsewhere described, it is neither as the son of Brahmd nor
the father of Manu, The original and simple idea, therefore,
appears to be, the identity of Manu with the male half of Brahma,
and his being, thence, regarded as his son. The Kurma Puraiia
gives the same account as Manu, and in the same words. Tho
Linga Purdiia and Vdyu Parana descnbe the origin of Viraj and
fSatardpa from Brahma; and they intimate the union of Satariipa
with Punisha or Viraj, the male portion of Brahma, in the first
instance, and, in the second, with Manu, who is termed Vairaja,
or the son of Viraj: I The Brahma Parana,

the words of which are repeated in the Ilari Vamsa, introduces
a new element of perplexity, in a new name, that of Apava.
According to the commentator, this is a name of the Prajapati
Vasiehfha: \ As, however, ho

performs the office ofBrahmd, he should be regarded as that
divinity. But this is not exactly the case, although it has been
so rendered by the French translator. Apava becomes twofold,
and, in the capacity of his male half, begets offspring by the fe¬
male. Again, it is said Vishnu created Viraj, and Virfij created
the male, which is Vairaja or Manu; who was, thus, the second
interval (Antara) or stage in creation. That is, according to the
commentator, the first stage was the creation of Apava, or Va-
sishfha, or VirAj, by Vishnu, through the agency of Hiraiyagarbha
or BrahmA; and the next was that of the creation of Manu by
VxrAj. ^atardpA appears as, first, the bride of Apava, and then
as the wife of Manu. This account, therefore, although obscurely
expressed, appears to be essentially fhe same with that of Manu;

BOOK 1-5 CUAP. vn.

107

and whom the divine Mann Swayambhuva took to wife.
From these two were born two sons, Priyavrata and

and we have Brahmd, Viraj, Manu, instead of Brahma and Mana.
It seems probable that this difference, and the part assigned to
Viraj, has originated, in some measure, from confounding Brahmd
with the male half of his individuality, and considering as two
beings that which was but one. If the Purusha or Virdj be dis¬
tinct from Brahmd, what becomes of Brahmd? The entire whole
and its two halves cannot coexist; although some of the Paurd-
liiks and the author of Manu seem to have imagined its possi¬
bility, by making Viraj the son of Brahmd. The perplexity,
however, is still more ascribable to the personification of that
which was only an allegory. The division of BraJimd into two
halves designates, as is very evident from the passage in the
Vedas given by Mr. Colebrooke, (As. B., VIIL, 425,*) the dis¬
tinction of corporeal substance into two sexes; Virdj being all
male animals, Satarupa, all female animals. So the commentator
on the Hari Vanina explains the former to denote the horse, the
bull, &c., and tlie latter, the mare, the cow, and the like. In the
Bhagavata, the term Viraj implies Body collectively, as the com¬
mentator observes:

‘As the sun

illuminates his own inner sphere, as well as the exterior regions,
so soul, shining in body(Viraja), irradiates all without and within.’

All, therefore, that

the birth of Virdj was intended to express, was, the creation of
living body, of creatures of both sexes; and, as, in consequence,
man was produced, he might be said to be the son of Virdj, or
bodily existence. Again, ^atarupd, the bride of Brahmd, or of
Virdj, or of Manu, is notliing more than beings of varied or
manifold forms, from iSata, ‘a hundred’, and ‘form’; explained,
by the annotator on the Haii Vamsa, by Anantarupd
‘of infinite’, and Vividharupd (fSfPfWlgxrr)* 'of diversified shape’;
being, as he states, the same as Mdyd, ‘illusion’, or the power

* MtsceUaneem Essays, Vol. L, p. 64.

t08

VISHNU I'UBXnA.

Uttanap4da^‘ and two daughters, named Prasiiti and
AkiUi, graced with loveliness and exalted merit.® Pra-
sAti he gave to Daksha, after giving AkAti to the par
triareh Euchi,® who espoused her.* Akiiti bore to
Euchi twins, Yajna and DakshiiiA,^ who afterwards

of multiform metamoi^hosis: '<,'*1141'^ ^ I Matsya

Purina lias a little allegory of its omi, oa the subject of Brahma’s
intercourse with ^atardp^; for it explains the former to mean the
Vedas, and the latter, the Sdvitri or holy prayer, which is their
chief text; and in their cohabitation there is, therefore, no evil;

ww fMV: iit

* The Brahma Puniiia has a different order, and makes Vira
the son of the first pair, who has Uttanapada, <fec. by Kaniya.
The commentator on the Hari Vamsa quotes the Vaya for a
confirmation of this account. But the passage there is:

tlfwflwTw^ 3^ ^ II

‘^atanipd bore to the male Vairdja (Manu) two Viras’, i. <>.,
heroes, or heroic sons, Uttanapada and Priyavrata. It looks as if
, the compiler of the Brahma Purdiia had made some very un¬
accountable blunder, and invented, upon it, a new couple, Vira
and EimyL No such person as the former occurs in any other
Purina; nor does Kamyi, as his wife.

® The Bhagavata adds a third daughter, Devahuti; for the
purpose, apparently, of introducing a long legend of the liishi
Kardama, to whom she is married, and of their son Kapila: a
legend not met with anywhere else.

* Ruchi is reckoned amongst the Prajipatis, by the Linga
and Vdyn Puranas.

* These descendants of Swiyathbhuva are, all, evidently, alle¬
gorical. Thus, Yajna (^) is ‘sacrifice’, and Dakshini (^1^),
‘donation’ to Brahmans.

^ See Origiml Sambit Texts, Part I., p. 25.
+ Matsya-pwiAa, IV„ 10, 11,

BOOK I., CHAP. VII.

109

became husband and wife, and had twelve sons, the
deities called Y4mas,^ in the Manwantara of SwAyam-
bhuva.

The patriarch Daksha had, by Prasxiti, twenty-four
daughtei’S.® Hear from me their names: ^raddhd (faith),
Lahshml (prosperity), Dhfiti (steadiness), Tushti (re¬
signation), Pushfi (thinving), Medha (intelligence),
Kriy4 (action, devotion), Buddhi (intellect), Lajjjd
(modesty), Vapus (body), iSdnti (expiation), Siddhi
(peifection), Klrtti (fame). These thii'teen daughters of
JDaksha, Hharma (righteousness) took to wife. The
other eleven bright-eyed and younger daughters of the
patriai'ch were: Khy4ti (celebrity), Satf (truth), Saih-
bhiiti (fitness), Smriti (memory), Priti (affection),
Kshamtl (patience), Sainnati (humility), Anasiiy4 (cha¬
rity), tlij^ (energy), with Swdh4 (offering), and Swadh4
(oblation). These maidens were respectively wedded
to the Munis Bhrigu, Bhava, Marichi, AngLras, Pulastya,
Pulaha, Kratu, Atri, and Vasishfha, to Fire (Vahni),*
and to the Pitfis (progenitors). ®f

' The Bhngavata (b. IV* c. 1) says the Tushitas: but they
are tlie divinities of the second, not of the first, Manwantara; as
appears also in another part of the same, where the Yilmas are
likewise referred to the Swayaihbhuva Manwantara.

^ These twenty-four daughters are of much less universal
occurrence in the Purahas than the more extensive series of fifty
»ov sixty, which is subsequently described, and which appears to
be the more ancient legend.

* The twenty-four daughters of Daksha are similarly named

* For Yahni’s vrife, Swdhi, and for other allegorical females here men¬
tioned, as originating from^ particles of jyrakHih the BralmavaivaTta-
^urwia, in Prof* Auftecht’s Catalog. Cod, Manuscript, 4sc., p, 23.

t See Ortgiiial Sanskrit Tcrits^ Part IV., p* 324.

no

viSHiiir purIna.

The progeny of Dhai-ma, by the daughters of Daksha,
wei-e as follows: by ^raddhdi he had Kdma (desire);
by Lakshmi,* Darpa (piide); by DhM, Niyama (pre¬
cept); by Tushfi, Santosha (content); by Pushti, Lobha
(cupidity); by Medhd, iSruta (sacred tradition); by
Kriyd, Daiida, Naya, and Vinaya (correction, polity,
and prudence); by Buddhi, Bodha (underatanding); by
Lajj4 Vinaya (goodbehayiour); by Vapus, Vyavasdya
(pei’severanee). Sdnti gave bu'th to Kshema (pro¬
sperity); Siddhi, to Sukha (enjoyment); and Kh*tti, to

and disposed of in most of the Puruiias which notice theun The
Bhdgavala, having introduced a third daughter of Swayambhuva,
has a rather different enumeration, in order to assign some of
them, the wives of the Prajapatis, to Kardama and Devahuti.
Daksha had, therefore, it is there said (b. IV, c. 1 ), sixteen
daughters, thirteen of whom were married to Dharma, named
Sraddha, Maitri (friendship), Dayd (clemency), Santi, Tusliti,
Pushfi, Kriyd, Unnati (elevation), Buddhi, Medhd, Titikshfi (pa¬
tience), Hi’i (modesty), Miirti (form); and three, Sati, Swaha,
and Swadhd, married, as in onr text. Some of Uic daughters of
Devahuti repeat these appellations 5 but tliat is of sliglit con¬
sideration. They are: Kala (a moment), married to Marichi;
Anasuyd, to Atri; Sraddhd, to Angiras; Havirbhu (oblatiou-boni),
to Pulasfya; Gati (movement), to Pulaha; Kriyd, to Kratu;
Khyati, to Bhfigu; Arundhati, to Yasishtha; and j^dnti, toAthar-
van.f In all these instances, the persons are, manifestly, alle¬
gorical, being personifications of intelligences and virtues and
religious rites, and being, therefore, appropriately wedded to tiie
probable authors of the Hindu code of religion and morals, or
to the equally allegorical representation of that code, Dharma,
moral and religious duly.

^ In the original, Ohald.

t The Bhdga/oata-fwdiiay in the texts that I have examined, pairs
tiji ^th YasishfSha, and Chilti vrith Atharvan.

BOOK I., CHA?. Vn.

Ill

Yasas (reputation).^ Tliese were tlie sons of Dhanna;
one of whom, Kama, haclHarsha (ioy) by his wife
Nandi (delight).

The wife of Adharma® (vice) wasHiihsa (violence),
on whom he hegot a son, Anf-itu (falsehood), and a
daughter, Nikriti (immorality). They intermarried, and
had two sous, Bhaya (fear) and Naraka (hell); and

* TIui Siinie remark applies here. The Puraiias that give
these details geu<‘raUy concur with our text. But the Bhagavata
siiocifios thii progeny of Dharma in a somewhat ditteront manner;
or, following the order observed in tint list of Dharma’s wives,
their childre;i are: Rita** (truth), Prasfida (favour), Abhaya (fear¬
lessness), Sukhu, Mudii (pleasure), Smaya (wonder), Toga (de¬
votion), l>arpa, Artba (moaningf), Smfiti (memory), Kshema,
PrJisrayti (alfeetion), and the two saints Nara and Nslrayaha, the
sons of Dhaniia by Mnrti. We have occiusional varieties of nomcn-
elaUire in other imtliorities; as, instead of Bruta, 8ama; Kurma
Rurana: inst(‘a(l of Danilanaya, Samaya; and, instead of Bodha,
Apranuida; Iwinga Purana: and Siddho, in place of Sukha; Kurma
Purtina.

The text rallier abruptly introduces Adharnm and his family,
lie is said, by the commentator, to be the son of Brahma; and
tholdaga Parana enumerates him amongst the Prajapatis, as well
as Dharma. Ace<»r(ling to the Bhagavata, he is the husband of
Mfishil (falsehood), and the father of Damhha (hypocrisy) and
Miiy4 (lUiceit), who were adopted by Ninh'ti. ‘The scries of their
descMmdants is, also, somewhat varied from our text; being, in
(‘Hch descimt, however, twins, which intermairy, or: liObha (cove¬
tousness) and Nikfiti, who producfi Krodha (wrath) and HiB&s4:
their ehildnm are Kali (wickedness) and Durukti (evil speech):
their progijny are Mfityu and Bin' (fear)? whoso ojffspring are
Niraya (hell) and Yalaui (torment).

I'ho MSS- which I have iaspectsd give 6ubha, ‘‘felicity*’.

tv

112

VISHNU PUR^l^A.

twins to Uiein, two daughters, Mdyd (deceit) and Ve-
dan4 (torture), who became their wives. The son of
BhayaandM4y4was the destroyer of living creatures,
orlVh'ityu (death); andDuhkha ^ain) was the offspring
of NaraJka* and VedauA. The childi*en of Mfityu were:
Vyddhi (disease), Jara, (decay), l^oka (soitow), Tfishiid
(greediness), and Krodha (wrath). These are all called
the inflictors of miseiy, and are chai*acterized as the
progeny of Vicef (Adhanna).J They are all without
wives, without posterity, without the faculty to pro¬
create. They are the teiTific fonns of Vishiiu, and
perpetually operate as causes of the destruction of this
world. On the contrary, Daksha and the other I^ishis,§
the elders of mankind, tend peipetually to influence
its renovation; whilst the Manus and their sous,! the
heroes endowed with mighty power, and treading in
the path of truth, as constantly contribute to its pre¬
servation.

MAiTREyA.—Tell me. Brahman, what is the essential
nature of these revolutions, perpetual pi*eservatiou,
perpetual creation, and perpetual destruction.

PaeaiSaea. —^Madhusddana, whoso essence is incom¬
prehensible, in the forms of these (patiiarchs and
Manus), is the author of the uninterrupted vicissitudes
of creation, preservation, and destruction. The dissolu-

* Eaniava, in tlie original.

+ , “ essentially 7icioas’\ The commentator says:

J For some additions, including Niifiti and Alakshmi, seo the
kaUenor^dAo, L., 83, et set/.

I Poui are named in the Sansbdt: Daksha, llariehl, Atri, and BWigu.

II An epithet is hen omitted: bh^a, “kings’’.

BOOK r.j CHAP* VII.

113

tion o! all things is of four kinds: Naimittika,* ^occa¬
sional’; Prakritikaj ‘elemental’; Atyaiitika, ‘absolute’;
Nitya, ‘perpetual’.^ The first, also termed the Brahma

* The three lirst of these are more particularly described in
tlic last book. The last, the Nitya or constant, is differently
described by Colonel Vans Kennedy (Researches into the Nature
and Affinity of Ancient and Hindu Mythology, p, 224, note). ‘‘In
the seventh chapter, however”, he observes, “of the first pai*t of
the Vishnu Puraua, it is said that the nahnittika, prdkHtika, diyan^
/ika, and nliya are the four kinds of prdlaya to wliich created
tilings are subject. The naimiltika takes place when Brahma
slumbers; i\xii prdkfiiika^ when this universe returns to its original
nature; diyantika proceeds from divine knowledge, and consequent
identification with the supreme spirit; and nitya is the extinction
of life, like the extinction of a lamp, in sleep at night.” For this
last characteristic, however, our text furnishes no wairant. Nor
can it he explained to signify, tliat the Nitya Pralaya moans no
more than “a man’s falling into sound sleep at night”. All the
oopi<‘S consulted on the present occasion concur in reading:

^ WTfTPTt ^ i

as rendered above. The commentator supplies the illustration,

I ‘like the flame of a lamp’; but he also writes:
-^T?rr»rf twaj: 13 f%w: l ‘That whidi is the

destruction of all tliat arc bora, night and day, is tlio Nitya or
constant’ Again, in a verso presently following, we have the
Nitya Sarga, ‘constant or perpetual creation’, as opposed to con¬
stant dissolution;

^ «rrq% 1

^ ^ 11

‘That in which, 0 excellent sages, beings are daily born, is termed
constant creation, by those learned in the Puranas.’ The com¬
mentator explains this:

* The constant flow or succession of the creation of ourselves and
other creatures is the Nitya or constant creation. This is tlie

* See the editor's note in p. 62, *«pra.

1 .

8

114

VISHlhj PUEil^A.

dissolution, occurs when the sovereign of the world
reclines in sleep. In the second, the mundane egg
resolves into the pinmaiy element, from whence it was
derived. Absolute non-existence of the world is the
absorption of the sage,* through knowledge, into su¬
preme spiiit. Pei'petual destruction is the constant
disappearance, day and night, of all that are born. The
productions of Prakfiti foim the creation that is termed
the elemental (Prdkfita). That which ensues after a
minor dissolution is called ephemeral creation; and
the daily generation of living things is termed, by those
who are versed in the Pm-46as, constant creation. In
this manner, the mighty Visin') u, whose essence is the
elements, abides in all bodies, anti brings about pro¬
duction, existence, and dissolution.f The facnlti(‘s of
Vishiu, to create, to preseiwe, and to destroy, operate
successively, Maitreya, in all corporeal beings, and at
all seasons; and he who fr’ees himself fr’om tlte influence
of these three faculties, which are essentially composed
of the three qualities (goodness, foulness, and dai’kness),
goes to the supi'eme sphere, from whence ho never
again returns.

tneaning of the text.’ It is obvious, therefore, that the allernatiou
intended is that of life and death, not of waking and sleep.

CHAPTER VIII.

Origin of Kudra: his becoming eight Rudras: their wives and
children. The posterity ofBhrigu. Account oflSriin conjunc¬
tion with Vishnu. (Sacrifice of Daksha.)

Par^^aba .—1 have described to you, 0 great Muni,
the ci'eation of Braluni in which the quality of dark¬
ness prevailed. I wdl now explain to you the creation
of Rudra.^

In the beginning of the Ealpa, as Brahm4 purposed
to create a sou, who should be like himself, a youth
of a purple complexion* appeai*edj ciying with a low
cry, and running about. * Brahmd, when he beheld him
thus afflicted, said to him: “Why dost thou weep?”
“ Give me a name”, replied the boy. “Rudra be thy
name”, rejoined the great father of all creatures: “be
composed; desist from tears.” But, thus addressed,

* The creation of Rudra has been already adverted to;' and
that seems to be the primitive form of the legend. We have,
here, another account, grounded, apparently, upon Saiva or Yoga
mysticism.

v'' ® The appearance of Rudra as a Eumdra, ^a boy’, is described,
aa of repeated occurrence, in the Linga and Y&yn Purdnas, as
already noticed (pp. 76 , et seq,); and these Kum&ras are of different
compleudons in different Kalpas. In the VaisbAava PurdAas,
however, we have only one original form, to which the name of
Nilalohita, Hhe blue and rod or purple complexioned’, is assigned.
In the Kurma, this youth comes from BrahmA’s mouth; in the
Vdyu, from his forehead. ^

/ » This is the PaurMik etymology: \

or Rud, ‘to weep’, and Dm, ‘to run’. The grammarians derive
the name from Rud, ‘to weep% with Rak affix.

8

116

VISHNU PUBiNA.

the boy still wept seven times; and Brahmd therefore
gave to him seven other denominations i and to these
eight persons regions and wives and posterity belong.
The eight manifestations, then, are named Rudra,
Bhava, ^arva, fedna, Pasupati, Bhlma, Ugra, and Mahu-
deva, which were given to them by theii- great pro¬
genitor.* He also assigned to them their respective
stations, the sun, water, eaitih, air, fire,f ether, the
ministi'ant Brahman, and the moon; for these are their
several foims.^ The wives of the sun and the other

* The Viyu details the application of each name Hcverally.
These eight Rudras are, therefore, but one, under as many ap¬
pellations, and in as many types. The Padma, Markaiidcya,
Kurma, Linga, and VAyu agree with our text in the nomenclature
of the Rudras, and their types, their wives, and progeny. Tli<i
types are those which are enumerated in the Nandi or opening
benedictory verse of ^akuntala; and the passage of the Vishnu
PurAha was found, by M. Chessy, on the envelope of Ins coi)y.
He has justly corrected Sir William Jones’s version of tlie term
Hhe sacrifice is performed with solemnity’; as tlm word
means, ‘Brahmane officiant’, I l^'^^thman

who is qualified, by initiation (Diksha), to conduct the rite.’ These
are considered as the bodies, or visible foims, of those modilica-
tions of Rudra which are variously named, and which, being
praised in them, severally abstain from harming them:

I % t Vayu Purina,

y^he Bh^avata, HI., 12, 11-13, has a different scheme, as
usual; but it confomids the notion of the eleven Rudras, to
whom the text subsequently adverts, with that of tins <‘ight

^ See an almost identical passage, from the MdrkaAdcya^unbla, hll,, 2,
et 8eq.y translated in Origiml Samkrit Pari IV., p. 286.

' t la most MSS. seen by me the order is **tire, air”; aud so iu other
Purdias than the Yishiu.

BOOK r -5 CHAP. viri.

117

manifestations, termed Eudra and the rest, were, re¬
spectively: Savarchala, Ushd,* Vikesf, Siva, SwAhd,
Disas, Dfksha, and Rohinf. Now hear an account of
their progeny, by whose successive generations this
world has been peopled. Their sons, then, were, seve¬
rally: Sanaischara (Saturn), Sukra (Venus), the fiery-
bodied f (Mai's), Manojava (HanumatJ), Skanda^
Swarga,§ Santdna^ and Budha (Mercury).

It was the Eudra of this description that married
SaW, who abandoned her corporeal existence in con¬
sequence of the displeasure of Daksha.^ She after¬

bore specified. These eleven it terms Manyu, Mann, Mahinasa,
Mahat, Siva, "feitafibwaja,|| Ugraretas, Bhava, Kala, Vamadeva,
and Dhrilavrata; their wives are Dhi, Dhnti, Kasaloma, Niyut,
Sarpi,! Tla, Ambikii, Iravati, Swadha, Dikshd, Bndrdni; and their
places are the heart, senses, breath, ether, air, fire, water, earth,
sun, moon, and tapas or ascetic devotion. The same allegory or
mystification characterizes both accounts. ^

^ 8ee the story of Daksha’s sacrifice at the end of the chapter.

* Several of the MSS. inspected by me have Swavarchala and Uma.
The MdrkaMeyorpurd/taf LII., 9, has Umd,

t Lolutdnga,

t '[^he commentator says that Manojava is “a certain wind”. Hanu-
mat is called, however, Anilitmaja, Pavanatanaya, Viyupntra, &o., “Son
of the Wind”; and Marntwat.

§ Some MSS. have Sarga; and so has the MdrUaMeyor^urma^ HI., 11.

II The Bombay editions of the Bhagavaia-^urdda have Kratudhwaja,

“Dhi, BhHti, U^ana, Umil, Niyut, Sarpi, Ha, Ambika, Irdvati, Sudha,
and Dikshd, the Rudrauis, are thy wives, Rudra.”

Vfitti is a variant, of common occurrence, for Dhfiti. “Rasaloma”
and “Swadha” are not fdnnd in any MS. that I have seen. Sarpi must
be feminine. Sarpis would be neuter.

1IR ■ VISHNU PUrXi^A.

war<^s was the daughter of Hiinavat (tlie snowy mount¬
ains) by Mon&; and, in that character, as the only TJin^ the
mighty Bhava again mariiedher\* The divinities Dhdbi’i
and VidhAtfi were bora to Bhfigu by Khydti; as was a
daughter, ^rf, the wife of Ndrdyaiia, the god of gods.®

Maitheya. —^It it commonly said that the goddess
l^rf was bora fi’om the sea of milk, when it was churned
for ambrosia. How, then, can you say that she was
the daughter of Bhfigu by Biyati?

PabIiSara.— iSrl, the bride ofVishiiu, the mother of
the world, is eternal, imperishable. In like manner as
he is all-pervading, so also is she, 0 best of Bi’ahmans,
omnipresent. Vishnu is meaning; she is speech. Hari
is polity (Naya); she is prudence (Nfti). Vishiiu is
understanding; she is intellect. He is righteousness;
she is devotion. He is the creator; she is creation.
&ri is the earth; Haii, the support of it. The deity is
content; the eternal Lakshml is I’esignation. He is
desire; ^ri is wish. He is sacrifice; she is sacrificial
donation (pakshiii4). The goddess is the invocation
which attends.the oblation;f Jandrdana is the oblar

* The story of UmA’s birth and marriage occurs in the Siva
ParAda, and in the EAsi Ehadia of the Skanda PnrAda: it is
noticed briefly, and with some variation from the Purana*S 5 in the
Eamayana, first book: it is also given, in detail, in the KumAra
Sambhava of Kilid&sa.

* The family of Bhfigu is more particularly described in the
tenth chapter. It is here mentioned merely to introduce the story
of the birth of the goddess of prosperity, ^ri.

* See Oriffinal 8(mhrit Texts, Part IV., p. 334.
t For “the invocation which attends the oblation”, read “the oblation
of olaiified butter”, not

BOOK I., CHAP. Vlir.

119

tion.* * * § Lakshmf is the chamber -where the females are
present (at a I’eligious ceremony); Madhusiidana, the
apartment of the males of the family. Lak shm f is the
altar; Hari, the stake (to which the ^^ctim is hound),
f^rf is the fuel; Hari, the holy gi'ass (Ku^a). He is the
pem)nifie<I Sama-veda; the goddess, lotos-thi’oned, is
the tone of its chanting.f Lakshmf is the prayer of
oblation (SwAh/i); Vdsndeva, the lord of the world, is
the sacrificial fire. Sauri (VishAn) is Sankara (Siva);
and is the bride of f^iva (Gaurf). Kesava, 0 Mai-
treya, is fhe sun; and his radiance is the lotos-seated
goddess. VishAii is the tiibc of progenitors (Pitfigaha);
Padind is their bride (SwadhA), the eternal bestower
of nutriment. § J^rf is the heavens; VishAu, who is one
witli all things, is wide-extended space. The loi’d of
t^rf is the moon; she is his unfadmg light. She is called
the moving principle of the world; he, the-wind which
blowefh everywhere. Govinda is the ocean; Lakshmf,
it« show*. Ijakshmf is the consoi't of Indra (IndrAAf);
Madhusiidana is Devondra. The holder of the discus
(VishAu) is Yama (the regent of Tai-tarus); the lotos-
throned goddess is his dusky spouse (DhilraorAA). 6rf
is wealth; Mrfdhara (VishAu) is, himself, the god of
riches (Kubcira). Lakshmf, illustrious Brahman, is
Gaurf; and Kesava is the deity of ocean (VaruAa). ^rf

• T<> render fiiiruiAia, “a sactiftolal cake of ground rice". See Oole-
iirooke’H Two Treatmot m the Ilitulu Law of Tfiheritance, p. 284, first
annotation, and p. 337, second annotation,

t “The tone of its chanting”, udgiti,

; Here called Bhdti, in seTcral of the MSS. I hate examined.

§ Most of tho M«8. oonenlted by me haTe^not “the

eternal bestower of nutriment”, hot “the perpetual be-

etowei of contentment”.

120

BXTBACT FBOM THE VATH PUEiNA.

is the host of heaven (Devasena); the deity of war, her
lord, is Hari. Tlie wiekler of the mace is resistance;
the power to oppose is ^ri. Lakshmi is the Kash{h&
and the Kala; Hari, the Niinesha and the Muhnrta.
Lakshmi is the light; and Hari, who is all, and lord of
all, tlie lamp. She, the mother of the world, is the
creeping vine; and Vishhu, the tree round which she
clings. She is the night; the god who is armed with
the mace and discus is the day. He, the bestower of
blessings, is the bridegi’oom; the lotos-throned goddess
is the bride. The god is one with aU male, the goddess
one with all female, rivers. The lotos-eyed deity is the
standard; the goddess seated on a lotos, the banner.
Lakshmi is cupidity; NArdyaha, the master of the world,
is covetousness. 0 thou who knowest what righteous¬
ness is, Govinda is love; and Lakshmi, his gentle
spouse,* is pleasure.t But why thus diflFusely enume¬
rate their presence? It is enough to say, in a word,
that, of gods, animals, and men, Hari is all that is called
male; Lakshmi is all that is teinxed female. There.is
nothing else than they.

SACRIFICE OF DAKSHA.^

(From the Vayu PurAua.)

“There was fonnerly a peak of Meru, named Sdvitra,
abounding with gems, radiant as the sun, and celebrated

’ The saciifice of Daksha is a legend of some interest, from
its historical and archseological relations. It is, obviously, intended

* There is nothing, in the MSS. 1 have seen, ans'seiing to *‘his gentle
spouse”. f B4ga, “love”; rati, “pleasure".

8ACB1FICK OF DAKSHA.

121

throughout the three worlds; of immense extent, and
difficult of access, and an object of universal veneration.
Upon that glorious eminence, rich with mineral trea¬
sures, as upon a splendid couch, the deity Siva reclined,
accompanied by the daughter of the sovereign of
mountains, and attended by the mighty Adityas, the
powerful Vasus, and by the heavenly physicians, the

to intimate a struggle between the worshippers of Siva and of
Vishnu, in which, at first, the latter, but, finally, the former,
acquired the ascendancy. It is, also, a favourite subject of Hindu
sculpture, at least with the Hindus of the Saiva division, and
makes a conspicuous figure boUi at Elephanta and Ellora. A re¬
presentation of the dispersion and mutilation of the gods and
sages by Virabhadra, at the former, is published in the Arch^eo-
logia, VoL VII., 326, where it is described as the Judgment of
Solomon I A figure of Virabhadra is given by Niebuhr, Vol. II.,
tab. 10; and the entire group, in the Bombay Transactions, Vol. I.,
p. 220. It is described, p. 229: but Mr. Erskine has not verified
the subject, although it cannot admit of doubt. The group de¬
scribed, p* 224, probably represents the introductory details given
ill our text. Of the Ellora sculptures, a striking one occurs in
what Sir 0. Malet calls the Doomar Leyna cave, where is “Veer
Budder, with eight hands. In one is suspended the slain Rajah
Dutz.” A. R. Vol. VI., 396. And there is also a representation
of ‘Ehr Budr’ in one of the colonnades of Kailas; being, in fact,
the same figure as that at Blephanta. Bombay Tr., Vol, III., 287.
The legend of Daksha, therefore, was popular when those cavern
temples wore excavated. The story is told in much more detail
in several other Purdnas, and with some variations, which will
be noticed: but the above has been selected as a specimen of the
style of the Vdyu Purdna, and as being a narration which, from
its inartificial, obscure, tautological, and uncircumstantial con¬
struction, is, probably, of an ancient date. The same legend, in
the same words, is given in the Brahma Purdna.

122

EXTRACT FROM THE vAyU PCUiNA.

sons of Aswinl; by Kubera,* suiToundecl by his train
of Gubyaikas, the lord of the Yakshas, who dwells on
Kaildsa. Tliere also was the great Muni Usanas: there
were ifeishis of the fii’st order, with Sanatknmdra at
then’ head; divine liishis, preceded by Angii’as; Vii^wa-
vasu, with his bands of heavenly choristers; the sages
Ndrada and Parvata; and innumerable ti’oops of ce¬
lestial nymphs. The breeze blew upon the mountain,
bland, pm*e, and fragrant; and the frees were decorated
with flowers that blossomed in eveiy season. The
Vidyddharas and Siddhas, affluent in devotion, waited
upon Mahddeva, the lord of living creatures ;f and
many other beings, of vaiious forms, did him homage.
Rdkshasas of terrific semblance, and Pii^dchas of great
strength, of different shapes and features, armed with
various weapons, and blazing like fire, were delighted
to be present, as the followers of the god. There stood
the royal Nandin, I high in tlie favour of his lord, armed
with a fiery tiident,§ shining with inhei-ent lustre; and
there the best of rivers, Gangd, the assemblage of all
holy waters,! stood adormg the mighty deity. Thus
worshipped by all the most excellent of sages and of
gods, abode the omnipotent and all-gloriousTMalnldova.

“In former times Daksha commenced a holy sacri¬
fice on the side of Himavat, at the sacred spot Gaaig/i-

* In the original, Vaiira^alia.

+ Paiu/pati: rather, “lord of sacrificial animals and so in p. 125, 1. fJ.

+ In the Sanskrit, Nandiifwara,

§ to, “a pike”; and so wherever “trident” occurs in the present
extract from the VdyihpurMa,

i The more liteial rendering wonld be •. “rising from the water of all holy
places aituate on Btreame”: I

1 Instead of “ompipotent and all-glorious", road “tUyine”, ihagavat.

SACRIFICE OF DAKSHA.

123

clwai-a, frequented by the liishis. The gods, desirous
of assisting at this solemn rite, came, with Indi’a* at
their head, to Mah4deva, and intimated then* pm*pose,
and, having received his pennission, departed, in then*
splendid chaaiots, to GangMwdra, as todition reports.^
They found Daksha, the best of the devout, sun*ounded
by the singers and nymphs of heaven, and by numei*ou8
sages, beneath the shade of clustering frees and dimb-
iug plants; and all of them, whether dwellers on eai'th,
in air, or in the regions above the skies, approached
llie patriarch with outward gestures of respect. The
Adltyas, Vasus, Uudras,f Mai’iits, all entitled to partake
of th(‘. oblations, together with Jishi'ui, were present.
'I'lio (four t'hisses of Pitris) flshmapas, Somapas, Ajya-
j)as, and Dhiiinapas, (or those who feed upon the flame,
the add juice, the butter, or the smoke of oflei-ings),
the. Aswins, and the jtrogenitors, came along witli
Brahma. Creatures of every class, ])orn from tlie womb,
the egg, from vapour, or vegetation, came upon their
invocation; as did all the gods, with their brides, who,
in their resplendent vehicles, blasted like so many fires.

* ()r tluH ittay bo nnderslood lo iiuply, that the original story
is in iha the term being, as usual in such a reference,

t Waiigudwara, tint place whore the Ganges descends
to the plains —or Tlaridwilr, as it is more usually termed—is
usually Hpocifi(*d ns the sc<uio of action. The Linga is more
jirociso, calling it Kanakhala, which is-the village still called
Kankhal, near IlaridwAr (Megha Uuta, p. 50). It rather inaccu-
ral^ly, however, describes this as upon ITaifisa peak, a point of
the Himalaya; I

„ . .* ■ 1 *.ti . -t as

* The Sitnokrlt bas Eratn.

t Add Sadbyaa.

124

EXTOACT FROM THE VAYU PURixA.

Beholclbg them thuii atssemhled, the sage Dadhfcha
was filler! with iiiclignatiou, and observed: ‘The man
who woi’ships what ought not to be wox’shipped, or
pays not reverence where veneration is due, is guilty,
most assuredly, of heinous sin.’ Then, addressing
Daksha, he said to him: ‘Why do you not offer homage
to the god who is the lord of life* (Pa^ubhai-tfi)?’
Daksha spake: ‘I have already many Eudras pi’esent,
armed with tridents, wealing braided hair, and existing
in eleven foi’ms. I recognize no other Mahddeva.’
Dadhlcha spake: ‘The invocation that is not addressed to
Isa is, for all, but a solitary (and imperfect) summons.
Inasmuch as I behold no other divinity who is superior
to iSankara, this sacrifice of Daksha will not be com¬
pleted.’f Daksha spake: ‘I offer, in a golden cup, this
entii’e oblation, which has been consecrated by many
prayers, as an offering ever due to the unequalled
VishfiUjt the sovereign lord of all.’^

* The Kiirma Purina gives also this discussion between
Dadhicha and Daksha; and their dialogue contains some curious
matter. Daksha, for instance, states that no portion of a sacrifice
is ever allotted to Siva, and no prayers are directed to be addres¬
sed to him, or to his bride:

■** Rather, “the guardian of animals fit for sacrifice”,

WTf ^TRf wifi) li

For the text, from the MahdbhdTata, of a passage nearly identical
with that in which these verses occur, accompanied by a very different
rendering fiom that given above, see Original Sanskrit Teats, Part IV.,
pp. 314, et seg,

J The epithet inah/ieiaf “lord of sacrifice”, is here omitted.

SACRIFICE OP DAKSHA.

125

“Ill tlie lueaiiwliile the virtuous daughter of the
mountain king, obsemng the departure of the divini¬
ties, addressed her lord, the god of livmg hemgs, and
said-—Uni4 spake—‘Whither, 0 lord, have the gods,
preceded by Jndra,* this day depaited? Tell me truly.

tf ’T »rnr: i

^ iTserr ^ ii

Dadliu-Iia apparently evades the objection, and claims a share for
Kudra, consisting of tlie triad of gods, as one with the sun, -who
is, undoubtedly, hymned by the several miuisloring priests of
the Vedas:

Daksba roplit^H that the twelve Adityas receive special oblations;
that they ant all the huxjs ; and that he knows of no other. The
Munin, who overhear the dispute, concur in his sentiments:

^ W ’*r Tf^: II

iro ^nsiV^ftiRui : ii

Th(*se. notioim seem to have been exchanged for others, in tiie
days of the Padnia I^iruna jind Bhagavata; as they place Daksha’s
uegleel of Siva to the latter’s iilthy practices,—his going naked,
smearing himself with ashes, carrying a skull, and behaving as if
he were drunk or ertused; alluding, no doubt, to the practices of
»Suiva mendicantrt, who seem to have abounded in the days of
t^ankara Acharyu, and since. There is no discussion in the Bhi-
gavata; hut Rudra is described as present at a fornaer assembly,
when his father*in-law censured him before tlie guests, and, in
e.onsc<iucn<'e, he departed in a rage. Tlis follower Nandinf curses
the company; and Bln'igii retorts in language descriptive of the
VainachariiiH or left hand worshippers of Aiva* ‘‘May all those’%

^ Sakra, in the origiuHl.
t Nandiiwara.

126

EXTRACT PROM THE vItU PUfiXlSrA.

0 thou who knowest all truth; for a great doubt per¬
plexes me.’ Maheswaie spake: ‘Dlustrious goddess,
the excellent patriarch Daksha celebrates the saciifice
of a hoi’se; and thither the gods repair.’ Devi spake:
‘Why, then, most mighty god, dost thou also not pi*o-
ceed to this solemnity? By what hindei'ance is thy
progress thither impeded?’ Maheswara spake: ‘This
is the contrivance, mighty queen, of all the gods, that.,
in all sacrifices, no portion should be assigned to me.
In consequence of an aiTangement formerly devised,
the gods allow me, of rights no pai*ticipation of sacrificial
offerings.’ Devf spake: ‘The lord god lives in all bodily
forms;* and his might is eminent through his superior
faculties. He is unsm'passable, ho is unapproachable, in
splendour and glory and power. That such as he should
be excluded fi'om his shai’e of oblations fills me with
deep soiTow; and a ti’embling, 0 sinless, seizes upon

he saysjf “who adopt the worship of Bhara (&7a), all those
who follow the practices of his worshippers, become heretics, and
oppagners of holy doctrines. May they neglect the observances
of puridcation; may they be of infirm intellects, wearing clotted
hair, and ornamenting themselves with ashes and bones; and may
they enter the Smva initiation, in which spirituous liquor is the
libation.”

» Professor Wilson doubtless read • but the MSS. Tsbioh I

have consulted give “in all the gods",

t BhdgomaioirfwMa, IV., 2, 28—29;

w w % w i

inaM i rc*ii: i

This passage wU be found translated in Original SamkrU Texta,
Part IV., p. 321.

SACRIFICE OP DAKSHA.

127

my frame. Shall I now practise bounty, restraint, or
penance, so that my lord, who is inconceivable, may
obtain a share,—a half, or a third portion,—of the
sacrifice?’^

“Then the mighty and incomprehensible deity, being
pleased, said to his bride, thus agitated and speaking:
‘Slendei'-waisted queen of the gods, thou knowest not
the piu*poi*t of what thou sayest. But I know it, 0 thou
with large eyes; for the holy declare all things by me¬
ditation. By thy peiplexity this day are all the gods,

* This simple account of Sati’s share in the transaction is

considerably modified in other accounts. In the Kurma, the
quarrel begins with Daksha the patiiarch’s being, as he thinks,
treated, by his son-in-law, with less respect than is his due. Upon
his daughter Satx’s subsequently visiting him, he abuses her hus¬
band, and turns her out of his house. She, in spite, destroys
herself; I hearing of this, comes to

Daksha, and curses him to be bom as a Kshatriya, the son of
the Prachctasas, and to beget a son on his own daughter:

It is in this subsequent birth that the sacrifice occurs. (^The Linga
and Matsya allude to the dispute between Daksha and Sati, and
to the latter*s putting an end to herself by Yoga: ,

The Pudma, Bhdgavata, and Skanda,—in the KhaA^a,—-

relate the dispute between father and daughter in a like manner,
and in more detail. The first refers the death of Satf, however,
to a prior period 5 and that and the Bhigavata both ascribe it to
Yoga:

irafwwr I*

i, The Kisi KhaAda, with an improvement indicative of a later age,
makes Sati throw herself into the fire prepared for the solemnity.'

* B/uigavaUi^itrdiiia, IV., 4, 87,

128 EXTRACT PROM THE vi.YU PUEXnA.

■with Maheiidi’a and all the three worlds, utteily con¬
founded. In my sacrifice, ihose who woi*ship me repeat
iny praises, and chant 'the Eathantara song of the Sama-
veda. My priests worship me in the sacrifice of true
wisdom, where no officiating Brahman is needed; and,
in this, they offer me my portion.’* De'vf spake: ‘The
lord is the root of all,f an^ assiu’edly, in e’veiy assem¬
blage of the female wmrld, praises or hides himself at
will.’ Mahddeva spake: ‘Queen of the gods, I praise
not myself. Approach, and behold whom I shall create
for the pm.’pose of claiming my share of the rite.’

“Having thus spoken to his beloved spouse, the
mighty Mahe^wai’a created, from his mouth, a being
like die fire of fate; t a divine being, with a thousand
heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet; wielding a
thousand clubs, a thousand shafts; holding the shell,
the discus, the mace, and beaiing a blazing bow and
battle-axe; § fierce andteirific, shining with dreadful
splendour, and decorated with the crescent moon;
dothed in a tiger’s skin dripping with blood, having a
capacious stomach, and a vast mouth aimed with foi^
midable tusks. His ears were erect; his lips were pen¬
dulous; his tongue was lightning; his hand brandished
the thunder bolt; flames sfreamed from his hair; a
necklace of pearls wound round his neck; a garland of
flame descended on his breast. Radiant with lustre,
he looked like the final fire that consumes the world.
Four tremendous tusks projected from a mouth whicli

• See Original Samkrit Teiett, Part IT., p. 316, note 881.
t SmprMUa*

t Kdldgm* Some MSS. have kroMigfd, *‘the fire of ’wrath”.
§ Add, ** sword

SACRIFICE OF DAKSHA.

129

extended from ear to ear. He was of vast bulk, vast
strength, a mighty male and lord, the destroyer of the
universe, and like a lai'ge fig-tree in circumference;
shining like a hundi’ed moons at once; fierce as the
fire of love; having four heads, sharp white teeth, and
of mighty fierceness, vigour, activity, and coiu'age;
glowing with the blaze of a thousand fiery suns at the
end of the woidd; like a thousand undimmed moons;
in bulk, like Himddii, KailAsa, or Sumerii, or Mandara,
with all its gleaming herbs; bright as the sun of de¬
struction at the end of ages; of iiTesistible prowess
and beautiful aspect; frascible, with lowei’ing eyes, and
a countenance burning like fire; clothed in the hide of
the elephant and lion,* and girt round with snakes;
wealing a tiuban on his head, a moon on his brow;
sometimes savage, sometimes mild; having a chaplet
of many flowers on his head, anointed with various
unguents, adorned with different ornaments and many
sorts of jewels, wearing a garland of heavenly Kaibi-
kara flowers, and rolling his eyes with rage. Sometimes
he danced; sometimes he laughed aloud; sometimes
he stood wrapt in meditation; sometimes he tompled
upon the earth; sometimes he sang; sometimes he
wept repeatedly. And he was endowed with the facul¬
ties of wisdom, dispassion, power, penance, truth, en¬
durance, fortitude, dominion, and self-knowledge.

“ This being then knelt down upon the ground, and,
raising his hands respectfully to his head, said to
MaliMeva; ‘Sovereign of the gods, command what it

* The origiaal, in the MSS. known to me, is
the accnsative. That is to say, then is no mention of “the elephant".
I. 9

130

EXTRACT FROM THE vi.YU PtJBANA.

is that I must do for thee’; to which Mahe^wara re¬
plied: ‘Spoil the sacrifice of Daksha.’ Then the mighty
Virabhadra, having heard the pleasure of his loi*d,
bowed down his head to the feet of Prajdpati,* and,
starting like a lion loosed from bonds, despoiled the
sacrifice of Daksha; knowing that he had been created
by the displeasure of Devf. She, too, in her wrath, as
the feaiful goddess Eudrakdlt, accompanied him, with
all her train, to witness his deeds. Vfrabhadra, the
fierce, abiding in the region of ghosts, is the minister
of the anger of Devf. And he then created, from the
pores of his skin, powerful demigods,f the mighty
attendants upon Eudra, of equal valour and strength,
who stajted,by hundreds and thousands, into existence.
Then a loud and confused clamour filled all the ex¬
panse of ether, and inspired the denizens of heaven
with dread. The mountains tottei’ed, and eaith shook;
the winds roared, and the depths of the sea were dis¬
turbed; the fires lost their radiance, and the sun grew
pale; the planets of the firmament shone not, neither
did the stars give light; the I^ishis ceased their hymns,
and gods and demons were mute; and thick darkness
eclipsed the chariots of the skies,

“ Then fi’om the gloom emerged fearful and numer¬
ous forms, shouting the cry of battle; who instantly •

* The description of Virabhadra and his followers is given in
other Paranas, in the same strain, but with less detail.

* In the original,"* UmApati.

+ The original calls them Baumas:

t Hereabouts the translation is some-what free.

SACRIFICE OF DAKSHA.

131

broke or overturned tbe sacrificial columus, trampled
upon the altars, and danced amidst the oblations.
Running wildly hither and thither, with the speed of
wind, they tossed about the implements and vessels
of sacrifice, which looked like stars precipitated from
the heavens. The piles of food and bevei’age for the
gods, which had been heaped up like mountainsj the
rivers of milk; the banks of curds and butter; the sands
of honey, ami butter-milk, and sugar; the mounds of
condiiuents and spices of eveiy flavour; the undulating
knolls of flesh and other viands; the celestial liquors,
pasU'S, and <;onfections, which had been px’eparcd; these
the spirits of wrath devoured, or defiled, or scattered
abroml. Then, falling uj>on the host of the gods, these
vast and ivsistlcsslhidras beat or terrified them,mocked
and insulted the nymphs and goddesses, and quickly
put an end to the rite, although defended by all the
gods; being the ministers of Rudra’s wrath, and similar
to himself .' Some then made a hideous clamour, whilst
others fearfully shouted, when Yajua was decapitated.
For the. divine Yajmt, the lord of sa(5rifice, then began
to fly up to heaven, in the Hhaj)e of a deer; and Vlra-
hhudrsi, of immeasurahle spirit apprehending his power.

' 'Fheir (fXidoitB, iumI tliosc of Vfrabliadra, aro more pardcn-
larly Hpecifioil dHowhore, cspeclully in the Linga, Kurma, and
Hhugavuta Puriluas. Indra is knocked down and trampled on;
Yatna has his etaff broken; Haraswati and Iho Miitfis have their
nowis cut off; Mitra or HliagJi Inis his oycs pulled out; Piishan
ha« his tenth knocked down his throat; Oliandra is pummelled;
Vahui’s haiulH arc rut off; Bhfigu loses his beard; the Brahmans
aro pelted with stones; tlie Pr^idpatis are beaten; and tbe gods
and demigodM are run through with swords, or stuck with anws.

9*

132

EXTRACT FROM THE vIyU PUEilSrA.

cut off his vast head, after he had mounted into the
s^.* Daksha, the patriarch, his sacrifice being de¬
stroyed, overcome with teiTor, and utterly broken in
spirit, fell, then, upon the gi-ound, where his head was
spumed by the feet of the cruel Vlrabhadra.® The
scores* of sacred divinities were all presently

* This is also mentioned in the Linga and in the Hari Yanisa:
and the latter thus accounts for the origin of the constellation
Mfigasiras; Yajna, -with the head of a deer, being elevated to the
planetary region, by Brahm4.

* As he prays to iSiva presently, it could not well be meant,
here, that Daksha was decapitated^ although that is the story in
other places. The Linga and Bhagavata both state that Vxra-
bhadra cut off Daksha’s head, and threw it into the fire. After
the fray, therefore, when Siva restored the dead to life, and the
mutilated to their limbs, Daksha’s head was not forthcoming. It
was, therefore, replaced by the head of a goat, or, according to
the Kdiii SIhauda, that of a ram. No notice is taken, in our
text, of the conflict elsewhere described between Yirabhadra and
Yishnu, In the Linga, the latter is beheaded; and his head is
blown, by the wind, into the fire. The Kurma, though a 6aiva
Purina, is less irreverent towards Vishnu, and, after describing
a contest in which both parties occasionally prevail, makes
Brahma interpose, and separate the combatants. The Kasi
Ehanda of the Skanda Purina describes Yishnu as defeated, and
at the mercy of Yirabhadra, who is prohibited, by a voice from
heaven, from destroying his antagonist; whilst, in the Hari Vamsa,
Vishiiu compels ^iva to fly, after taking him by the throat and
nearly strangling him. The blackness of diva’s neck arose from
this throttling, and not, as elsewhere described, from his drinking
ihe poison produced at the churning of the ocean.

* “Three hnndmd and thirty millions”. The ftriginai is!

ut; ^flrwt i

SACRIFICE OF DAKSHA.

133

bound, with a band of fire, by their lion-like foe; and
they all then addressed him, crying: ‘0 Rudra, have
mercy upon thy servants! 0 lord, dismiss thine anger!’
Thus spake Brahm4, and the other gods, and the pa*
triarch Daksha; and, raising their hands, they said;
‘Declare, mighty being, who thou art.’ Vfrabhadra
said; ‘I am not a god, nor an Aditya; nor am I come
hither for enjoyment, nor curious to behold the chiefs
of the divinities. Know that I am come to destroy
the sacrifice of Daksha, and that I am called Vlrabha*
dra, the issue of the wrath of Rudra. Bhadrakdli, also,
who has sprimg firom the anger of Devi, is sent here, by
the god of gods, to destroy this rite. Take refuge, king
of kings, with him who is the lord of Um4. For better
is the anger of Rudra than the blessings of other gods.’

“ Having heal'd the words of Virabhadra, the riight-
eous Daksha propitiated the mighiy god, the holder
of the trident, Mahe^wara. The hearth of sacrifice,
deserted by the Brahmans, had been consumed; Yajna
had been metamorphosed to an antelope; the fires of
Rudra’s wrath had been kindled; the attendants,
wounded by the tridents of the servants of the god,
were groaning with pain; the pieces of the uprooted
sacrificial posts were scattered here and there; and
the fragments of the meat-offerings were carried off
by flights of hungry vultures and herds of howling
jackals. Suppressing his vital aus, and taking up a
posture of meditation, the many-sighted victor of his
foes, Daksha, fixed Ms eyes everywhere upon his
thoughts. Then the god of gods appeared from the
altar, resplendent as a thousand suns, and snuled upon
him, and said; ‘Daksha, thy sacrifice has been destroyed

134 KXTRACT FROM THE vXyU PURANA.

tliroligh saci’erl knowledge. I am well pleased with
thee.’ And then he smiled again, and said: ‘What shall
1 do for thee? Declare, together with the preceptor
of the gods.’

“ThenDaksba, frightened, alai-med, and agitated,
his eyes suffused with tears, raised his hands reveren¬
tially to his brow, and said: ‘If, lord, thou ai-t pleased;
if I have found favour in thy sight; if I am to be the
object of thy benevolence; if thou wilt confer upon
me a boon, this is the blessing I solicit, that all these
provisions for the solemn sacrifice, which have been
collected with much trouble, and during a long time,
and which have now been eaten, drunk, devoured,
biu’iit, broken, scattered abroad, may not have been
prepared in vain.’ ‘So let it be’, replied Kara, the sub¬
duer of Indi’a.* And thei'eupon Daksha knelt down
upon the eai’th, and praised, gratefully, the author of
righteousness, the three-eyed god Mahadeva, repeating
the eight thousand names of the deity whose emblem
is a bull.”)

* Bhaganetm is here used, in the Sanskrit, for “Indra”. See the
article in Professor Wilson’s Samhrit Dictionary,

OHAPTEE IX.

Legend of Lakshmi. Durvisas gives a garland to ludra: he treats
it disrespectfully, and is cursed by the Muni. The power of
the gods impaired: they are oppressed by the Danavas, and
have recourse to Yishi'm. The churning of the ocean. Praises
of ^ri.

pAni-^Aiu.—^But, witli respect to the question thou
hast asked me, Maitreya, I’elating to the history of ^rf,
hear from me the tale, as it was told to me by Mariehi.

Diirvdsas, a portion of Sankara (Siva),^ was wander^
ing over the earth; when he beheld, in the hands of a
nymph of am,® a garland of flowers ouUed from the
trecsS of heaven, the fragrant odour of which spread
throughout the forest, and enraptured all who dwelt
beneath its shade. The sage, who was then possessed
by religious phrensy,® when he beheld that garland,
demanded it of tlie gi’aceful and full-eyed nymph, who.

' DurvAsas was the son of Atri by Anasiiydi, and was an in¬
carnation of a portion of Siva.

* A Vidyddhari. These beings, male and female, are spirits
of an inferior order, tenanting the middle regions of the atmo¬
sphere. According to the VAyu, the garland was given to the
nymph by Devr.

* He observed the Vrata, or vow of insanity, I

efjimvalcnt to the ecstasies of some religious fanatics. ‘Injhis
state’, says the commentator, ‘even saints are devils’:

ft

• The MSS. of the commentary which I have had access to read:

ft ^ I

13fi

VISHNU PUEANA.

bowing to him reverentially, immediately presented
it to him. He, as one frantic, placed the chaplet upon
his brow, and, thus decorated, resumed his path; when
he beheld (Indra) the husband of l^achi, the ruler of
the three worlds, approach, seated on his infuriated
elephant, Aii'dvata, and attended by the gods. The
phrensied sage, taking from his head the garland of
flow'ers, amidst which the bees collected ambrosia,
tlu-ew it to the kmg of the gods, who caught it, and
suspended it on the brow of Airdvata, where it shone
like the river Jdhnavf, glittering on the dark summit
of the mountain Kaildsa.* The elephant, whose eyes
were dim with inebriety, and atti’acted by the smell,
took hold of the gai’land with his trunk, and cast it on
the earth. That chief of sages, Durvdsas, was highly
incensed at this disrespectful freatment of his gift, and
thus angrily addressed the sovereign of the immortals;
“Inflated witli the intoxication of power, Vdsava,
vile of spiiit, thou ai*t an idiot not to respect the gar¬
land I presented to thee, which was the dwelling of
Fortune (iSri). Thou bast not acknowledged it as a
lai'gess; thou hast not bowed thyself before me; thou
hast not placed the wreath upon thy head, with thy
countenance expanding with delight. Now, fool, for
that thou hast not infinitely prized the garland that I
gave thee, thy sovereignity over the three worlds shall
be subverted. Thou confoundest me, ^akra, with other
Braluuans; and hence I have suffered disrespect from

* The original ia simply;

BOOK I., CHAP. IX.

137

thy arrogance. Bnt, in like manner as thou hast cast
the garland I gave thee down on the ground, so shall
thy dominion over the universe he whelmed in ruin.
Thou hast offended one whose wrath is dreaded by
all created things, king of the gods, even me, by thine
excessive pride.”

Descending hastily from his elephant, Mabendra
endeavoured to appease the sinless Durv4sas. But, to
the excuses and prostrations of the thousand-eyed, the
Muni answered; “I am not of a compassionate heart,
nor is forgiveness congenial to my nature. Other Munis
may relent; but know me, l^akra, to be Durvasas. Thou
hast in vaiti been rendered insolent by Gautama and
others; for know me, Indra, to be Durv^as, whose
nature is a stranger to remorse. Thou hast been flat¬
tered by Vasishfha and other tender-hearted saints,
whose loud praises have made thee so arrogant that
thou hast insulted me.* But who is there in the uni¬
verse that can behold my countenance, dark with
frowns, and surrounded by my blazing hair, and not
tremble? What need of words? I will not forgive,
whatever semblance of hiimiliiy thou mayest assume.”

Having thus spoken, the Brahman went his way;
and the king of the gods, remounting his elephant,
returned to his capital, Amar&vatf. Thenceforward,
Maitreya, the tliree worlds and Sakra lost their vigour;
and all vegetable products, plants, and herbs were
withered and died; sacrifices were no longer offered;
devout exercises no longer practised; men were no
more addicted to charity, or any moral or rdigious

* See Original Scmtkrit Textt, Part L, p. 95, note.

138

VISHlhJ PURXnA.

obligation; all beings became devoid of steadiness;^
all the faealties of sense were obstructed by cupidity;
and men’s desires were excited by fiivolous objects.
Where there is energy* thei’e is prosperity; and upon
prosperity energy depends. How can those abandoned
by pro-speiity be possessed of energy? And without
eiiei’gy where is excellence? Without excellence there
can be no vigour or heroism amongst men. He who
has neither courage nor strength will be spurned by
all: and he who is univereally ti’eated with disgrace
must suffer abasement of his intellectual faculties.

The three regions being thus wholly divested of
prosperity, and deprived of enei'gy, the D^navas and
sons of Diti, the enemies of the gods, who were in¬
capable of steadmess, and agitated by ambition, put
forth their sti’ength against the gods. They engaged
in wai‘ with the feeble and unfortunate divinities; and
Indra and the rest, being overcome in fight, fled, for
refuge, to Brahm4, preceded by the god of flame
(Hutd^ana). When the great father of the universe
had heard all that had come to pass, he said to the
deities; “Eepaii*, for protection, to the god of high and
low; the tamer of the demons; the causeless cause of
ei’eation, preservation, and destruction; the progenitor
of the progenitors; the immortal, unconquerable VishAu;
the cause of matter and spirit, of his imengendered
products; the remover of the giief of all who humble
themselves before him. He will give you aid.” Having

They became Niheattwa; and Sattwa is explained,

throuj^ont, byDhairya ‘steadiness’, ‘fortitude’.

* Here and below, this represents saifyMu

BOOK I., CHAP. K.

139

thus spoken to the deities, Brahmd proceeded, along
with them, to the northern shore of the sea of milk,
and, with reverential words, thus prayed to the supreme
Hari;—

“We glorify him who is all things; the lord supreme
over all; unbora, imperishable; the protector of the
mighty ones of creation; the unperceived,* indivisible
Ndrayaha; the smallest of the smallest, the largest of
the largest, of the elements; in whom are all things;
fi'om whom are all thmgs; who was before existence;
the god who is all beings; who is the end of ultimate
objects; who is beyond final spirit, and is one with
supreme soul; who is contemplated, as the cause of
final liberation, by sages anxious to be free; in whom
are not the qualities of goodness, foulness, or darkness,
that belong to undeveloped nature. May that purest
of all pure spiiits this day be propitious to us. May
that Hari be propitious to us, whose inherent might is
not an object of the progressive chain of moments, or
of days, that make up time. May he who is called the
supreme god, who is not in need of assistance, Hari,
the soul of all embodied substance, be favourable unto
ns. May that Hari, who is both cause and effect; who
is the cause of cause, the effect of effect; he who is the
effect of successive effect; who is the effect of the effect
of the effect, himself; the product of the effect of the
effect of the effect, (or elemental substance).^ To him I
bow. The cause of the cause; the cause of the cause

V t » The first effect of primaaty cause is nature, or FralcHti; the
effect of the effect, or of Pral^ti, is Mahat; effect in the third

* Jprakdkt} explained, by the conunentetor, to mean “self-illuminated”.

140

VISHNU PDSiNA.

of the canse; the cause of them all: to him I how. To
him who is the enjoyer and thing to be enjoyed; the
creator and thing to be ci’eated; who is the agent and
the effect: to that supreme being I bow. The infinite
nature of Vishiiu is pure, intelligent, perpetual, unborn,
undecayable, inexhaustible, inscrutable, immutable; it
is neither gross nor subtile, nor capable of being de¬
fined: to that ever holy natui'e of Vishfiu I bow. To
him whose faculty to create the universe abides in but
a part of but the ten-millionth paa-t of him; to him who
is one with the inexhaustible supreme spirit, I bow:
and to the glorious nature of the supreme VishAu,
which nor gods, nor sages, nor I, nor Sankara appre¬
hend; that nature which the Yogins, after incessant
effort, effacing both moral merit and demerit, behold
to be contemplated in the mystical monosyllable Om:
the supi’eme gloiy of VishAu, who is the first of all;
of whom, one’ only god, the triple energy is the same
with BrahmA, VishAu, and i§iva: 0 lord of aU, great
soul of all, asylum of all, imdecayable, have pity upon
thy servants! 0 VishAu, be manifest unto us.”

ParAsara continued.—The gods, having heard this
prayer uttered by BrahmA, bowed down, and cried:
“Be favourable to us! Be present to om* sight. We

degree is Ahaifikira; in the fourth, or the effect of the effect
(Ahathkdra) of the effect (Mahat) of the effect (Prakfiti), is ele¬
mentary substance, or Bhuta. VishAu is each and all. So, in
the succeeding ascending scale, Brahmd is the cause of mortal
life; the canse of Brahma is the egg, or aggregate elementary
matter; its cause is, therefore, elementary matter; the canse of
which is subtile or mdimental matter, which ori^ates from
Ahaifikaca; and so on. Vishnu is, also, each and all of these.

BOOK I., CHAP. IX.

141

bow down to that glorious nature which the mighty
Brahmi does not know; that which is thy nature, 0
imperishable, in whom the universe abides.” Then,
the gods having ended, Brihaspati and the divine
I^ishis tlius prayed; “We bow down to the being en¬
titled to adoration; who is the first object of sacrifice;
who w’as Ijefore the first of things; the creator of the
creator of the world; tiie undefinable. 0 lord of all
that htw been or is to be; imperishable type of sacrifice;
have pity upon thy worshippers! Appeal* to them pros¬
trate before thee. Here is Brahm4; here is Tiilochana
(the three-eyed l^iva), with tlie Eudras; Pdshan (the
sun), with the Adityas; and Fire, with all the mighty
luminaries.* Here are the sons of Aswinf (the two
Aswiiu Kunidras), the Vasus and all the winds, the
SadhysiB, tlie Visw'adevas, audindi’a, the king of the
gods; all of whom bow lowly before thee. All the
tribes of the immortals, vanquished by the demon host,
have fled to thee for succom*.”

Thus prayed to, the supreme deity, the mighty
holder of the conch and discus, showed himself to them;
and, beliolding the lord of gods, bearing a shell, a dis¬
cus, and a mace, the assemblage of primeval form, and
radiant with embodied light, PitAmaha and the other
deities, their eyes moistened with rapture, first paid
him homage, and then thus addressed him: “Repeated
salutation to thee, who art indefinable! Thou art Brah-
m4; thou art the wielder of the Pinika bow (Siva);
thou art Indra; thoil art fii*e, air, the god of waters,

‘ “Firo, with «U its forms”* 5JfTPrf5T5 I

t Vnruia, iu tho orIgifiaL

142

VISHNU PURANA.

the sun,* * * § the king of death (Yama), the Vasus, the
Maruts (the winds), the SAdhyas, and ViAwadevas.
This assembly of divinities, that now has come before
thee, thou art; for, the creator of the world, thou ai*t
everywhere. Thou art the sacrifice, the px’ayer of ob¬
lation, f the mystic syllable Om, the sovereign of all
creatures. Thou art all that is to be known, or to be
unknown. 0 universal soul, the whole world consists
of thee. We, discomfited by the Daityas, have fled to
thee, 0 Vishfiu, for refuge. Spirit of all,t have com¬
passion upon us! Defend us with thy mighty power.
There will be affliction, desire, trouble, and grie^ until
thy protection is obtained: but thou art the remover
of all sins. Do thou, then, 0 pure of spirit^ show favour
unto us, who have fled to thee! 0 lord of all, protect
us with thy great power, in union with the goddess
who is thy stoength.”‘§ Hari, the creator of the uni¬
verse, being thus prayed to by the prostrate divinities,
smiled, and thus spake: “With renovated energy, 0
gods, I win restore your strength. Do you act as I
enjoin. Let all the gods, associated with the Asuras,
cast all sorts of medicinal herbs into the sea of milk;
and then, taking the mountain Mandara for the chum-
ing-stick, the serpent VAsuM for the rope, churn the

’ With thy Sakti, or the goddess or Lskshmi.

* In the Sazisknt, Saritri.

f FwAaftijra, “the exclamation at a sacriBce”.

4 These words, and "nniTeisal sonl”, just aboTe, are to render sor-
vdtauoL

§ “Lord 0 ^^ OM igies, i^e us, by thy power, to prosper”:

BOOK I., CHAP. IX.

143

ocean together for ambrosia; depending upon my aid.
To secure the assistance of the Daityas, you must he
at peace with them, and engage to give them an equal
portion of the fruit of your associated toil; promising
them, that, by drinking the Amfita that shall be pro¬
duced from the agitated ocean, they shall become
mighty and immortal. I will take care that the enemies
of the gods shall not pai-take of the precious di'aught;
that they shall share in the labour alone.”

Being thus instructed by the god of gods, the divini¬
ties entered iuto alliance with the demons: and they
jointly undertook the acquirement of the beverage of
immortality. They collected vaiuous kinds of medicinal
herbs, and cast them into the sea of milk, the watera
of which were radiant as the thin, and shining clouds
of autumn. They then took the mountain Mandaite
for the staff, the serpent V4suki for the cord, and
ttomiucnccd to chum the ocean for the Amfita. The
assembled gods were stationed, by Efishha, at the tail
of the sei'pent; the Daityas and D&navas, at its head
and neck. Scorched by the flames emitted from his
inflated hood, the demons were shorn of their glory;
whilst the clouds, driven towards his tail by the breath
of his mouth, refreshed the gods with revivifying
showers. In the midst of the milky sea, Hari himself,
in the form of a tortoise, served as a pivot for the
mountain, as it was whirled around. The holder of
the mace and discus was present, in other forms,
amongst the gods and demons, and assisted to drag
the monai'ch of the serpent race; and, in another vast
body, he sat upon the summit of the mountain. With
one portion of his energy, unseen by gods or demons,

144

VISHNU PUIlijSfA.

he sustained the serpent-king, and, with another, in¬
fused vigoui* into the gods.

From the ocean, thus churned by the gods and
D4navas, first uprose the cow Surabhi, the fountain
of milk and curds, woi*shipped by the divinities, and
beheld by them and their associates with minds dis¬
turbed and eyes glistening with delight. Then, as the
holy Siddhas in the sky wondered what this could be,
appeared the goddess V4i*uiil (the deity of wine), her
eyes rolling v^ith intoxication. Next, from the whirl¬
pool of the deep, sprang the celestial P4rij4ta tree, the
delight of the nymphs of heaven; perfuming the world
with its blossoms. The troop of Apsarasas (the nymphs
of heaven), were then produced, of surprising loveliness,
endowed with beauty and with taste. The cool-rayed
moon next rose, and was seized by MahAdeva; and
then poison was engendered from the sea, of which
the snake-gods (NAgas) took possession. Dhanwan-
tari, robed in white, and bearing in his hand the cup
of Amfita, next came forth; beholding which, the sons
of Diti and of Danu, as well as the Munis, were filled
with satisfiEUStion and delight. Then, seated on a full¬
blown lotos, and holding a water-lUy in her hand, the
goddess l^rf, radiant with beauty, rose from the waves.
The great sages, em*aptured, hymned her with the
song dedicated to her praise.Vi^wAvasu and other

’ Or 'with the Sukta, or hymn of the Tedas, commenmng,
“HiranyavamAm”, Ac.

* “The song dedicated to her praise" translates jSrMkta. lor the
hynm so called, with its commentary, edited by me, see Muller’s Aig-ved»,
Vol, rv., Yaiietas Leofionis, pp. 6, et seg.

BOOK I., CHAP. IX.

145

heavenly quiristers sang, and GrhfitAchf and other
celestial nymphs danced before her. GangA and other
holy streams attended for her ablutions; and the ele¬
phants of the skies, taking up their pure waters in
vases of gold, poured them over the goddess, the queen
of the universal world. The sea of milk, in person,
presented her with a wreath of never-fading flowers;
and the aitist of the gods (Viswakannan) decorated
her person with heavenly ornaments. Thus bathed,
attired, and adorned, the goddess, in the view of the
celestials, cast herself upon the breast of Hari, and,
there reclining, turned her eyes upon the deities, who
were inspired with rapture by her gaze. Not so the
Daityas, who, with Viprachitti at their head, were
filled with indignation, as Vishnu turned away from
them: and they were abandoned by the goddess of
prosperity (Lakshmi).

The powerful and indignant Daityas then forcibly
seized the Amfitpjv-cup, that was in the hand of Dhan-
wantan. ButVishfiu, assuming a female form, fascinated
and deluded them, and, recovering the Amfita from
them, delivered it to the gods. 6akra and the other
deities quafted tlie ambi'osia. The incensed demons,
grasping their weapons, fell upon them. But the gods,
into whom the ambrosial draught had infused new
vigour, defeated and put their host to flight; and they
fled through the regions of space, and plunged into
the subteiTaneous realms of PAtAla. The gods thereat
greatly rejoiced, did homage to the holder of the dis¬
cus and mace, and resumed their reign in heaven. The
sun shone with renovated splendour, and again dis-
chai’ged his appointed task; and the celestial luminaries

146

viSHi^c purXna.

again cii'cled, 0 best of Munis, in their respective orbits.
Fire once inoi*e blazed aloft, beautiful in splendour;
and the minds of all beings were animated by devotion.
The three worlds again were rendered happy by pros¬
perity; and Indra, the chief of the gods, was restored
to power. ‘ Seated upon his throne, and once more in

* The cbuiTiiiig of the ocean does not occur in several of the
Purahas, and is but cursorily alluded to in the Siva, Linga, and
Kiirma Puvauas. The Vayu and Padnia have much the same
narrative as that of our text; and so have the Agni and Bhaga-
vata, except that they refer only bnefly to the anger of DuiTasas,
without narrating the circumstances; indicating their being poste¬
rior, therefore, to the original lalo. The part, however, assigned
to Durvasas appears to be an embellishment added to the ori¬
ginal; for no mention of him occurs in the Matsya Puraiia or
even in the Hari Vamsa, Neither does it occur in what may be
considered the oldest extant versions of the stoiy, tliose of the
Ramdyana and Mababharata. Both these ascribe the occun*ence
to the desire of the gods and Daityas to become immortal. The
Matsya assigns a similar motive to the gods, instigated by ob¬
serving that the Daityas slain by thorn in battle were restored to
life, by ^ubra, with the Sanjivini or herb of immortality, which
he had discovered. The account in the Hai*i Vam^a is brief and
obscure, and is explained, by the commentator, as an allegory,
in which tlie churning of the ocean typifies ascetic penance, and
the ambrosia is final liberation. But this is more mystification.
The legend of the Ramayana is translated, Vol. I., p. 410, of the
Serampore edition, and that of the Malulbharata, by Sir 0. Wil¬
kins, in the notes to his translation of the Bhagavad Gitd. See,
also, the original text, Calcutta edition, p, 40. It has been pre¬
sented to general readers, in a more attractive form, by my friend,
H. M. Parker, in his Draught of Immortality, printed, with other
poems, London, 1827. The Matsya Purina has many of the
stanzas of the Mahibhdrata interspersed with others. There is
some variety in the order and number of articles produced from

BOOK T., CHAP. TX.

147

heaven, exercising sovereigntj^ over the gods, t^akra
thus eulogized the goddess who Lears a lotos in hej*
hand:

the ocean. As 1 have observed elsewhere (Hindu Theatre, Yol. 1.,
p. 59, London edition), tlie popular onuineratioii is fourteen. But
the Kamayana specifies but nine; the Mahdbbarala, nine; the Bha-
gavata, ten; the Paduia, nine; the Tayu, twelve: the Matsya,
perhaps, gives the whole number. Those in which most agree
are: 1. the Hahihdla or Kalakiiia poison, swallowed by Siva;
2. Yaruni or Sura, the goddess of wine, who being taken by the
gods, and rejected by tlu^ Daityas, the Form(*r were termed Suras,
and the latter, A suras; o. the horse Ucbchaihsravas, taken by
Iiidra; 4. Kaustubha, the jewel worn by Vishnu; 5. the moon;
G. Dhanwantari, with the Amrita in his Kaniandalu or vase;
and these two articles are, in the Vayn, considered as distinct
products; 7. the goddess Padma or ji^ri; 8. the Apsarasas or
nyriipbs of heaven; 9. Surabhi or the cow of plenty; 10. the Pti-
rijata tree or tree of heaven; 11. Airavata, the elephant taken by
liidra. The Matsya adds: 12, the umbrella taken by Yaraiia;
13. the ear-rings taken by Indra, and given to Aditi; and, ap¬
parently, another horse, the white‘horse of the sun. Or the num¬
ber may be completed by counting the Amrita separately from
Dhanwantari. The number is made up, in the popular lists, by
adding the bow and the conch of Vishnu. But there does not
seem to be any good authority for this; and the addition is a
sectarial one. So is that of the Tulasi tree, a plant sacred to
Krishna, which is one of the twelve specified by the Vdyu Pu-
rdna. The Uttara Khauda of the Padma Purina has a peculiar
enumeration, or: Poison; Jyeshflia or Alakshmf, the goddess of
misfortune, the elder born to fortune; the goddess of wine; Nidra
or sloth; the Apsarasas; the elephant of Indra; Lakshmi; the
moon; and the Tulasi plant. The reference to Mohini, the fe¬
male form assumed by Vishnu, is very brief in our text; and no
notice is taken of the story told in the Mahiibharata and some
of the Purdnas, of the Daitya Rdhu’s insinuating himself amongst

10*

148

VISHNU PVRXnA.

“ I bovf down to l^rf, the mother of all beings, seated
on her lotos-thi'one, with eyes like full-blown lotoses,
reclining on the breast of Vishhu. Thou art Siddhi
(superhuman power); thou art Swadhd and Sw4hd;
thou art ambrosia (Sudhd), the purifier of the universe;
thou art evening, night, and dawn; thou ax*t power,
intellect, faitli;* thou art the goddess of letters (Saras-
wati^. Thou, beautiful goddess, art knowledge of de¬
votion, gi*eat knowledge, mystic knowledge, and spiri¬
tual knowledge,^ which confers eternal liberation.
Thou art the science of reasoning,f the three Vedas,
the arts and sciences;® thou aii; moral and political

the gods, and obtaining a portion of the Amfita. Being beheaded,
for this, by Vishnu, the head became immortal, in consequence
of the Amfita having reached the throat, and was transferred, as
a constellation, to the skies: and, as the sun and moon detected
his presence amongst the gods, Rahu pursues them, with impla¬
cable hatred, and his efforts to seize them are the causes of
eclipses; Rahu typifying the ascending and descending nodes.
This seems to be the simplest and oldest form of the legend.
The equal immortality of the body, under the name Ketu, and
his being the cause of meteorical phenomena, seems to have been
an afterthought. In the Padma and Bh^avata, R^u and Ketu
are the sons of Simhika, the wife of the Danava Viprachitti.

* The four Vidyas or branches of knowledge are said to be:
Yajna-vidya, knowledge or performance of religious rites; Mahd-
vidya, great knowledge, the worship of the female principle, orTan-
trika worship; Guhya-vidyd, knowledge of mantras^ mystical prayers,
and incantations; and Atma-vidyi, knowledge of soul, true wisdom.

Or Vd-rttd, explained to mean the Silpa-sastra, mechanics,
sculpture, and architecture; Ayur-veda, medicine; &c.

* medhd, and ^addhd,

t Jnifthhiki.

BOOK I., CHAP. IX.

149

science, f The world is peopled, by thee, with pleasing
or displeasing forms. Who else than thou, 0 goddess,
is seated on that person of the god of gods, the wielder
of the mace, which is made up of sacrifice, and con¬
templated by holy ascetics? Abandoned by thee, the
three worlds were on the brink of ruin: but they have
been reanimated by thee. From thy propitious gaze,
0 mighty goddess, men obtain wives, children, dwdl-
ings, friends, harvests, wealth. Health and strength,
power, victory, happiness are easy of attainment to
those upon whom thou smilest. Thou art the mother
of all beings; as the god of gods, Hari, is their father:
and this world, whether animate or inanimate, is per¬
vaded by thee and Vishfiu. 0 thou who purifiest all
things, foi*sake not our treasures, our granaries, our
dwellings, our dependants, our persons, our wives.
Abandon not our children, our fiiiends, our lineage, our
jewels, 0 thou who abidest on the bosom of the god
of gods. They whom thou desertest are forsaken by
tru^, by purity, and goodness, by every amiable and
excellent quality; whilst the base and worthless upon
whom thou lookest favourably become inunediately
endowed with all excellent qualifications, with families,
and with power. He on whom thy countenance is
turned is honourable, amiable, prosperous, wise, and
of exalted birth, a hero of irresistible prowess. But all
his merits and his advantages are converted into worth¬
lessness, from whom, beloved of Vishfiu, mother of
the world, thou avertest thy fiace. The tongues of
Brahm4 are unequal to celebrate thy excellence. Be

f DaMa/M,

150

VISHlitr PL’SiNA.

propitious to lue, 0 goddess, lotos-eyed; and never
fbi’sake me move.”

Being thus praised, the gratitied i!:>ri, abiding in all
creatures, and lieai'd by all beings, replied to the god
of a hundred rites (i^ataki-atii): “I am pleased, monarch
of the gods, by thine adoration.- Demand from me
what tliou desirest. I have come to fulfil thy wishes.”
“If, goddess”, replied ludra, “thou wUt grant my
pi’ayers; if 1 am wortliy of thy bounty; be this my
first re(]uest,—that the tlirce worlds may never again
be deprived of thy presence. My second supplication,
daughter of Ocean, is, that thou wilt not forsake him
who shall celebrate thy praises in the vrords 1 have
addressed to thee.” “I will not abandon”, the goddess
answered, “the three worlds again. This thy first boon
is gi’aiited: for 1 am gi'atified by thy praises. And,
further, I will never turn my face away IVom that
mortal who, morning and evening, shall repeat the
hymn with which thou hast addressed me.”

Pai’diiai’a proceeded.—Thus, Matoeya, in former
times the goddess 6rf conferred these boons upon the
king of the gods, being pleased by his adorations. But
her first biifh was the daughter of Bhfigu by Khyati.
It was at a subsequent period that she was pi’oduced
fi’om the sea, at the churning of the ocean, by the
demons and the gods, to obtain ambrosia.* For, in

’ The canse of this, however, is left nnoxplaincd. The Padma
l^oraim inserts a legend to account for llio teniporai’y scparaliou
of Lakshmi from Vishftn, which appears to he peculiar to that
work. Bhfigu was lord of Lakshmipura, a city on tho NarmadA,
given him by Brolima. His daughter Lakshmi instigated her
husband to request its being conceded to her, which offending

BOOK r., CHAP. IX.

151

like manner as the lord of the world, the god of gods,
flanardana, descends amongst mankind (in various
shapes), so does his coadjutrix §vl. Thus, when Haii
was horn as a dwaiT, the son of Aditi, Lakshini ap¬
peared from a lotos (as Padimi or KamaU). When he
was horn as R4ma, of the race of Bhfngu (or Pai’asn-
rama), she was Dhai'aht. Wlien he was Rdghava (Ra-
machandra), she was Sit4. And, when he was KfishAa,
she became Rukmihf. In the other descents of Vishhu,
she is his associate. If he takes a celestial fonn, she
appeal's as divine; if a mortal, she becomes a mortal,
too; transfoi'ining her own person agreeably to what-
ever character it pleases Vishi'm to put on. Whosoever
hears this account of the birth of Lakshmt, whosoever
reads it, shall never lose the goddess Portune from
his dwelling, for three generations; and misfortune,
the fountain of sti'ife, shall never enter into those
houses in which the hymns to Sri are repeated.

Thus, Brahman, have I naiTated to thee, in answer
to tliy question, how Lakshmi, formerly the daughter
of Bhfigu, sprang from the sea of milk. And misfortune
shall never visit those amongst mankind w'ho da,ily
recite the praises of Lakshmi, uttered by Indra, which
are the origin and cause of all pi’osperity.

Bhfigu, lie cursed Vishiiu to be bora upon earth ten times, to be
separated from his wife, and to have no 'children. The legend is
an insipid modern embellishment.

CHAPTER X.

The descendants of the daughtera of Daksha married to the Rishis.

Maitreya. —Thou hast narrated to me, great Muni,
all that I asked of thee. Now resume the account of
the creation subsequently to Bhf*igu.

Parasara. —^Lakshmf, the bride of Vishnu, was the
daughter of Bhfigu by Khyati. They had also two sons,
Dh^tfi and Vidhdtfi, who maiTied the two daughters
of the illustrious Meru, Ayati and Niyati, and had, by
them, each, a son, named Praha and Mfikahda.* The
son of the latter was Mdrkahdeya, from whom Veda-
siras was boni.^ The son of Pr46a was named Dyuti-

’ The commentator interprets the text to

refer to Prana; ^ | ‘ Vedasiras was born tho

son of Praha.’ So the Bhhgavataf has;

The Linga, the Vhyu, and Markaiideya, however, confirm our
reading of the textj making Vedasiras the son of Mhrkahdeya.
Prhna, or, as read in the two former, Pahdu, was married to
Puhdankh, and had, by her, Byutimat, whose sons were Srija-
vana and Asnita or Asrutavraha. Mfikahda (also read Mrikahdu)
married Manaswini, and had Markaiideya, whose son, by Mur-
dhauya, was Vedasiras. He married Pi van, and had many
children, who constituted the family or Brahmauical tribe of the
Bhargavas, sons of Bhriga. The most celebrated of these was
U^anas, the preceptor of the Daityas, who, according to the Bhii-
gavata, was the son of Vedasiras. But tho Vayu makes him the
son of Bhfigu by Paulomi, and born at a different period.

* All the MSS. seen by me have Mfikandu.
+ IV,, 1, 45,

BOOK I., CHAP. X. 153

mat; and bis son was Rajavat; after whom the race of
Bhfiga became uifinitely multiplied,

Sambhi'iti, the wife of Marfchi, gave bu-th to Paunia-
mAsa, whose sons were Virajas and Sarvaga. I shall
hereafter notice his other descendants, when I give a
more particular account of the race of Mai-fchi.^

The wife of Angii*as, Sinfitl, bore daughters named
Sinfv^ll, Kuhti, Rak4, and Anumati (phases of the
moon),® Anasdy4, the wife of Atri, was the mother

^ Alluding especially to Elasyapa, tlie son of Marichi, of whose
posterity a full detail is subsequently given. The Bhagavata adds
a daughter, Devakulya; and the Vayu and Linga, four daughters,
Tushii, Pusbii, Twishd, and Apachiti. The latter inserts the
grandsons of Paurnamasa. Virajas, mamed to Gauri, has Su-
dhaniaii, a Lokapala, or ruler of the east quarter 5 and Parvasa
(quasi Sarvaga) has, by Parvasa, YajDavama and Kasyata,* who
were, both, founders of Gotras or families.f The names of all
these occur in different forms t in different MSS,

” The Bhagavata adds, that, in the Swarochisha Manwantara,

* Professor Wilson Lad “Parvasi”. Instead of Lis “Kasyata”, I find,
in MSS., Ka.<yapa: and there is a goira named alter tLe latter. And
SCO my next note.

t Tlio words of the Vdyurpurwiat in the MSS. within my reach, are:

urf^: wnjvr: 1

TT^: 11

3^ TTi ^srnfr ti

The first line of this quotation is, in some MSS, that I have seen,
^ 4 ' JraiWI ^Rr f^ Xgf: &C.; and one MS. has, instead of

All those MSS. have W^T:, or But,

without conjectural mending, the line in question yields no sense.
Professor Wilson’s **quasi Sarvaga” seems to impl y tha t the MS., or
MSS., which he followed had some such lection as

X These names and forms of names—and so throughout the notes to
this work—are very numerous; and a fully satisfactory account of them,
in the absence of critical editions of the Pnrinas, is impractioable.

154

VISHND PUR ANA.

of three ninless sous: Soma (the moon), Dnrvdsas, and
the ascetic* Dattatreya.^ Pnlastya had, by Priti, a
son, called, in a fonnei' biiiih, or in the Sw4yambhnva
Manwantara, Dattoli,f who is now known as the sage
A-gastya.® KshamA, the wife of the patriai’ch Pulaha,
was the mother of three sous: Karinasa,t Arvarivat,§

the sages Utathya and Bfihaspati were also sons of Angirae;
and the Vxiyu, &c. specify Agiii and Kirttimat as the sons of the
patriarch, in the first Manwantara, Agni, married to Sadwati,
has Parjanya, married to Munclii; and their son is Hiraiiyarouian,
a Lokapala. Kirttimat has, by Dhenuka, two sons, Charishiiu
and Dhritiinat.

* The Bhagavata gives an account of Atri’s penance, by which
the three gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva, wore propitiated, and
became, in portions of themselves, severally his sons, Soma,
Datta, and Durvasas. The Vayu has a totally different series,
or five sons: Satyaiietra, Havya, Apomurti, Sani, and Soma;
and one daughter, Sruti, who became the wife of Kardama.

^ The text would seem to imply that he was called Agastya
in a former Manwantara: but the commentator explains it as
above. !1 The Bbdgavata calls the wife of Pulastya, Ilavirbhu,
whose sons were the Muni Agastya, called, in a former birth,
Dahragni (or Jatharagni) and Visravas. The latter had, by
Idaviia, the deity of wealth, Kubera, and, by Kesini, the Ra-
kshasas Eavaiia, Kumbhakarna, and Vibhishana. The Vayu

* Yogin,

•f Variants of this name are Dattali, Dattotti, Dattotri, Dattobhri,
Dambhohhi, and Dambholi.

I Kardama seems to be a more common reading than “Karmasa”.

§ Also -written Avarivat, and Arvariyat.

II The text is as follows:

And the commentator observes:

BOOK I., CHAV. X.

155

and SahisliAu.^ The wife of Kratu, Samnati, brought;
forth the sixty thousand VaJikhilyas, pigmy sages,*
no bigger than a joint of the thumb, chaste, pious,
res])Iendent as the rays of the sun.® Vasishtha had
seven sons, by his wifelJija: Eajas,G4tra,trrdhwab4hu,
Savana, f Anagha, Siitapas, and Sukra, the seven pure
sages.® The Agni named Abhimdnin, who is the eldest

spcciiios three sons ofPulastya,—Dattoli, Yeclabaliii, t and Vinita,
and one diinghter, Sadwati, married (see p. 153, note 2) to Agni.

‘ The Blnigavata roads Kariua^reshtha, Variyas, and Sahishim.
The Vayii and Linga hare Kardama and Ainbarisha, in place of
tluj two first, and add Vanakapivat and a daughter, Pivari, married
lo Vedasiras (see p, 162, note). Kardama married l§ruti (p. 154,
note 2), and had, by her, Sankliapada, one of tbo Lokapalas, and
a daughter, Kamya, married to Priyavrata (p. 108, note 1). Vana-
kapivat (also read Dhanakapivat and Ghauakapivat) had a son,
Saliishiin, inarriod to YatSodharaj and they were the parents of
Kainadova,

^ The different authorities agree in this place. The Vayu adds
two daughters, Punya and Suinati, married to Yajnavama (see
p. 153, note 1).

^ The Bluigavala has an entirely different set of names, or:
Chilraketu, Surochis, Virajas, Mitra, TJlbana, Vasubhfidydna, and
Dyuinat. It also specifies Saktri and others, as the issue of a
different inan*inge. The Vdyu and Linga iave the same sons
as in our text; reading Putra andHasta, in place of Gdtra. They
add a daughter, Punciarikd, married to Pdntlu (see p. 162, note).
The eldest son, according to the Vayu, espoused a dattghter of
Markandcya, and had, by her, the Lokapala of the west, Ketumat.
The seven sons of Vasishtha are termed, in the text, the seven
Rishis; appearing, in that character, in the third Manwantara.

* Yati.

t Vaaana is another reading,
i I find Devabahu in one MS. of the Vdyur^wrdAa.

156

VISHNU UUEANA.

born ofBi’ahm^ had, by Swdha, three sons of sui-pass-
ing brilliancy: Pdvaka, Pavamdna, and iSuchi, who
drinks up water. They had forty-five sons, who, with
the original son of Brahmd, and his three descendants,
constitute the forty-nine fires.^ The progenitors (Pitiis),
who, as I have mentioned, were created by Brahmd,
were the Agnishwdttas and Bai*hishads; the former
being devoid of, and the latter possessed o:^ fires.® By

’ The eldest son of Brahmi, according to the commentator,
npon the authority of the Vedas:

: I The Vayu Parana enters into a very long detail
of the names and places of the whole forty-nine lires. According
to that, also, Pavaka is electric or Vaidyuta fire; Pavamana is
that produced by friction, or Nirmathya; and Suchi is solar
(Saura) fire. Pavamana was the parent of Kavyavdhana, the fire
of the Pitfis; buchi, of Havyavahana, the fire of the gods; and
Pavamdna, of Saharaksha, the fire of the Asuras. The Bhaga-
vata explains these different fires to bo so many appellations of
fire employed in the invocations with which different oblations
to fire are offered in the ritual of the Vedas:

wTuT i

^TwBT 7T H *

explained, by the commentator; ^ ^Tjf

* According to the commentator, this distinction is derived
from the Vedas. The first class, or Agnishwattas, consists of
those householders who, when alive, did not maintain their do¬
mestic fires, nor offer burnt-sacrifices; the second, of those who
kept up the household flame, and presented oblations with fire.
Manuf calls these Agnidagdhas and the reverse, which Sir William
Jones renders ^consumable by fire’, &c. Kulluka Bhatia gives
no explanation of them. The Bhagavata adds other classes of

* BhdgavcOo^urd^ IV., 1, 61, - f HI., 199.

BOOK I., CHAP. X.

157

them Swadhd had two daughters. Mend and DhArihf,
who were, both, acquainted with theological truth, and
both addicted to religious meditation, both accom¬
plished in peifect wisdom, and adorned with all esti¬
mable qualities.^ Thus has been explained the progeny
of the daughters of Daksha.^ He who, with faith, re¬
capitulates the account shall never want offspring.

Pitfis; or, the Ajyapas, ‘drinkers of ghee’, and Somapas, ‘drinkers
ot the acid juice/ The commentator, explaining the meaning of
the terms Sagni and Anagni, has: %

J I I which might he understood to signify

that the Pitfis who ai*e ‘without fire’ are those to whom oblations
are not offered, and those ‘with fire’ are they to whom oblations
are presented.

* The Vilyu carries this genealogy foi-ward. Dharini was
married to Meru, and had, by him, Maiidara and three daughters,
Niyati, Ayati, and Vela. The two first were married to Dhitfi
and Vidhatfi (p. 152). Vela was the wife of Samudra, by whom
she had SAmudri, married to Praohinabarhis, and the mother of
the ton Prachetasas, the fathers of Daksha, as subsequently nar¬
rated. Mena was married to Himavat, and was the mother of
Mainaka, and of Ganga, and of Parvati or Umd.

* No notice is here taken of Sati, married to Bhava, as is
intimated in c. S (pp. 117, 118), when describing the Eudras. Of
these genealogies the fullest and, apparently, the oldest account
is given in the Vdyu Purilna. As far as that of our text extends,
the two nearly agree; allowing for differences of appellation,
originating in inaccurate transcription; the names frequently varying
in different copies of the same work, leaving it doubtful which
reading sliould be preferred. The Bhagavata, as observed above
(p. 109 note 3), has created some further perplexity by substitu¬
ting, as the wives of the patriarchs, the daughters of Kardama,
for those of Daksha. Of the general statement it may be observed,
that, although, in some resppets, allegorical, as in the names of
the wives of the &ishis (p. 109), and, in others, astronomical, as

158

VISHNU PUR AN A.

in the denominations of the daughters of Angiras (p. 153), yet it
seems probable that it is not altogether fabulous, but that the
persons, in some instances, had a real existence; the genealogies
originating in imperfectly preserved traditions of the families of
the first teachei’S of the Hindu religion, and of tlie descent of
individuals who took aii active share in its propagation.

CHAPTER XL

Legend ofDliruva, the son of UttanapAda: lie is unkindly treated
by his father’s second wife: applies lo his mother: her adduce:
he resolves to engage in religious exercises: sees the seven
Rishis, who recommend him to propitiate Vishnu.

Parj(6ara continued.—mentioned to you that the
Manu fewdyariibhuva had two heroic and pious sons,
Priyavrata and Uttanapada. Ol‘ these two the latter
had a son, whom he deaidy loved, Uttama, by his
favourite wife, Suruchi. By his queen, named Snnfti,
to whom he was less attached, he dso had a son, called
Dhrnva.’ Observing his brother Uttama on the lap of
his father, as he was seated upon his throne, Dhruva
was desirous of ascending to the same place; but, as
Suruchi was present, the Raja did not gratify the desire
of his son, respectfully wishing to be taiken on his
father’s knee. Beholding the child of her lival thus
anxious to be placed on his fathei*’s lap, and her own
son already seated there, Suruchi thus addressed the
boy: “Why, child, do you vainly indulge in such pi’e-
sumptuous hopes? You are born from a different
mother, and are no son of mine, that you should aspire
inconsiderately to a station fit for the excellent Uttama
alone. It is true you are the son of the Raja: but I

‘ The Matsya, Brahma, and V4ya Puririas speak of but one
■ wife of Uttilnapdda, and call her Sunfiti. They say, also, that she
had four sons: Apaspati (or Yasu), iiyushmat, Ki'rttimat, and
Dhruva. The Bh^avata, Padma, and Niradiya have the same
account as that of the text

160

VISHlkr PUfiiNA.

have not given you bii’th. This regal throne, the seat
of the king of kings, is suited to my son only. Why
should you aspire to its occupation? Why idly cherish
such lofty ambition, as if you were my son? Do you
forget that you ai*e but the offspring of Sunfti?”

The boy, having heai'd the speech of his step-mother,
quitted his father, and repaii’ed, in a passion, to the
apartment of his own mother; who, beholding him
vexed, took him upon her lap, and, gently smiling,
asked him what was the cause of his anger, who had
displeased him, and if any one, forgetting the respect
due to his father, had behaved ill to him. Dhruva, in
reply, repeated to her all that the aiTogant Suruchi had
said to him, in the presence of the king. Deeply dis¬
tressed by the narrative of the boy, the humble Sunfti,
her eyes dimmed with tears, sighed, and said: “Suruchi
has rightly spoken. Thine, child, is an unhappy fate.
Those who are bora to fortune ai’e not liable to the
insults of their rivals. Yet be not afflicted, my child.
For who shall efface what thou hast formerly done, or
shall assign to thee what thou hast left undone? The
regal throne, the umbrella of royalty, horses, and ele¬
phants are his whose virtues have deserved them.
Eemember this, my son, and be consoled. That the
Kng favoui’s Suruchi is the rewaivl of her merits in a
former existence. The name of wife alone belongs to
such as I, who have not equal merit. Her son is the
progeny of accumulated piety, and is. born as Uttama.
Mine has been bora as Dhruva, of inferior moral worth.
Therefore, my sou, it is not proper for you to grieve.
A wise man will be contented with that degree which
appertains to him. But, if you continue to feel hurt

BOOK I., CHAP. XI.

161

at the words of Suruchi, endeavour to augment that
I’eligious merit which bestows all good. Be amiable;
be pious; be friendly; be assiduous in benevolence to
all living creatures. For prosperity descends upon
modest worth, as water flows towards low gi'ound.”

Dhruva auswei’ed: “Mother, the words that you
have addressed to me, for my consolation, find no place
in a heart that contumely has broken. I will exert
myself to obtain such elevated rank, that it shall be
revered by the whole world. Though I be not born
of Suruchi, the beloved of the king, you shall behold
my glory, who am your son. Let Uttama, my brother,
her chO^ possess the throne given to him by my father.
I wish for no other honours than such as my own
actions shall acquire, such as even my father has not
enjoyed.”

Having thus spoken, Dhruva went forth from his
mother’s dwelling. He quitted the city, and entered
an adjoining thicket, where he beheld seven Munis,
sitting upon hides of the black antelope, which they
had taken from off their persons, and spread over the
holy Kusa grass. Saluting them reverentially, and bow¬
ing humbly before tliem, the prince said: “Behold, in
me, venerable men, the son of Utt^nap&da, bom of
Sunlti. Dissatisfied with the world, I appear before
you.” The iSishis replied; “The son of a king, and
but four or five years of age, there can be no reason,
child, why you should be dissatisfied with life. You
cannot be in want of anything, whilst the king, your
father, reigns. We cannot imagine that you suffer the
pain of separation from the object of your affections;

I.

162

MSHNTT PCB^lirA.

nor flo we observe, in yonr person, any sign of disease.
Whut is tlie cause of your discontent? Tell us, if it is
known to yourself.”

Dhruva tlieii repeated to the Rishis what Suruchi
had spoken to him; and, when they had heaa'd his
story, they said to one another: ‘‘How surprising is
the vehemence of the Kshatriya natiu’e, that resent¬
ment is cherished even by a child, and he cannot eftace
from his mind the harsh speeches of a step-mother!
Sou i.)f a Kshatriya, tell us, if it be agreeable to thee,
what thou hast proposed, through dissatisfaction with
the w'oiid, to accomplish. If thou wishest our aid in
what thou hast to do, declare it freely: for we perceive
that thou art desirous to speak.”

Dhruva said: “Excellent sages, I wish not for riches;
neither do I want dominion. I aspire to such a station
as no one before me has attained. Tell me what I must
do, to effect this object; how I may reach an elevation
superior to all otlier dignities.” (The i^ishis severally
thus replied.) Marichi said: “The best of stations is
not within the reach of men who fail to propitiate Gro-
\inda. Do thou, prince, w'orship the undecaying
(Achyuta).” Atii said: ‘‘He with whom the first of
spiiits, Jandrdana, is pleased, obtains imperishable
dignity. I declare unto you the truthi” Angiras said:
‘‘If you desii-e an exalted station, worship that Grovmda
in ■whom, immutable and undecaying, all that is exists.”
Pulastya said: “He who adores the divuie Hari, the
supreme soul, supreme glory, who is the supreme
Brahma, obtains what is difficult of attainment, eternal
liberation.” ‘‘When that Jandrdana”, observed Biratu,
“who, in saci’ifices, is the soul of sacrifice, and who, in

BOOK r., CHAP. XI.

163

abstract contemplation, is supreme spirit,* is pleased,
there is nothing man may not acquire.” Pulaha said:
“Indra, having worshipped the lord of the world, ob¬
tained the dignity of king of the celestials. Do diou
adoi’e, pious youth, tliat Vishiiu, the lord of sacrifice.”
“Anything, child, that the mind covets”, exclaimed
Vasishtha, '•‘may be obtained by propitiating Vishiiu,—
even though it be the station that is the most ex¬
cellent in the three worlds.”

Dhruva replied to them: “You have told me, humbly
bending before you, what deity is to be propitiated.
Now infoi-m me what prayer is to be meditated by me,
that will offer him gratification. May the great I^ishis,
looking upon me with favour, instruct me how I am
to pi'opitiate the god.” The feshis answered: “Prince,
thou deseiwest to hear how the adoration of Vishfiu
has been performed by those who have been devoted
to his seiwice. The mind must first be made to forsake
all external impressions; and, a man must then fix it
steadily on that being in whom the world is. By him
whose thoughts ai’e thus concentrated on one only
object, and wholly filled by it; whose spiiit is firmly
under control; the prayer that we shall repeat to thee
is to be inaudibly i*ecited; ‘Om! Glory to V^sudeva,
whose essence is divine wisdom; whose form is in-

* I

The commentator saye: ill^ I ’41'^ I

The meaning is, then-, “who, in the ideira of sacrifice, m called the
sonl of the sacrifiice, and, in the Yoga irfstro, the supreme spirit.”

11 *

164

VISHNU PUHilSfA.

scrutable, or is manifest as Brahm4, Vishbu, and j^iva!’*
This prayer, which was formerly uttered by your
grandsire, the Mann Sw^yaihbhuva, and propitiated by
which, Vishhu conferred upon him the prosperity he
desired, and which was unequalled in the three worlds,
is to be recited by thee. Do thou constantly repeat
this prayer, for the gratification of Govinda.”*

* The instructions of the Rishis amount to the performance
of the Yoga. External impressions are, first, to be obviated by
particular positions, modes of breathing, &c. The mind must
then be fixed on the object of meditation: this is Dharana. Next
comes the meditation or Dhyanaj and then the Japa or inaudible
repetition of a Mantra or short prayer: as in the text. The sub¬
ject of the Yoga is more fully detailed in a subsequent book.

i

grr ^ ii

BBT BRTpt BBB, II

“*OinI Glory to Vdsudeva, ■who has the form of Hiranyagarbha, and
of soul, and of p'odh^a when not yet evolved, and who possesses the
nature of pure intelligencer Manu, the holy son of the Self-existent
Brahmdy mattered this prayer. Janardana, thy grandsire, of yore, pro¬
pitiated, bestowed on him wealth to his wish, such as is hard to be
acquired in the three worlds. Therefore, daily muttering this prayer,
do thou, too, propitiate Govinda.”

For Hiranyagarbha and pradhdna, see pp. 13, 20, 39, and 40, su^ra*

OHAPTEE XII.

Dliruva commences a course of religious austerities. Unsuccessful
attempts of Indra and his ministers to distract Dhruva’s atten¬
tion : they appeal to Vislihu, who allays their fears, and appears
to Dhruva. Dhruva praises Vishnu, and is raised to the skies,
as the pole-star.

Thk prince, liaving received these instructions, re¬
spectfully sainted the sages, and departed from the
forest, fully confiding in^the accomplishment of his
purposes, fie repaired to the holy place, on the banks
of the Yamun A called Madhu or Madhuvana, (the grove
of Madhu), after the demon of that name, who formerly
abided thei'e. iSatrughna (theyounger brother of E4ma)
having slain the Edkshasa Lavafia, the son of Madhu,
fotinded a city on the spot, which was named MathurA
At this holy shrine—the purifier from all sin, which
enjoyed the presence of the sanctifying god of gods—
Dhruva performed penance, as enjoined by Marlchi
and the sages, fie contemplated Vishfiu, the sovereign
of all the gods, seated in himself. Whilst his mind
wtis wholly absorbed in meditation, the mighty Hari,
identical with all beings and with all natures, (took
possession of his heart). Vishfiu being thus present
in his mind, the earth, the supporter of elemental life,
could not sustain the weight of the ascetic. As he
stood upon his leE foot, one hemisphere bent beneath
him; and, when he stood upon his right, the other half
of the earth sank down. When he touched the earth
with his toes, it shook, with aU its mountains; and the

168

VISHlhj PUBiNA.

distressed by the austerities of Dhruva, we have come
to thee for protection. As the moon increases in his
orb day by day, so this youth advances incessantly
towai’ds superhuman power, by his devotions. Terrified
by the ascetic practices of the son of Uttanapdda, we
have come to thee for succour. Do thou allay the
fervour of his meditations. We know not to what
station he aspires—^to the throne of Indra, the regency
of the solar or lunar sphere, or to the sovereignty of
riches or of the deep. Have compassion on us, lord;
remove this affliction from our breasts. Divert the
son of XJtt&napdda fi’om persevering in his penance.”
VishAu replied to the gods: “The lad desireth neither
the rank of Indra, nor the solai* orb, nor the sover¬
eignty of wealth or of the ocean. All that he solicits
I will grant. Return, therefore, deities, to your man¬
sions, as ye list; and, be no more alarmed. I will put
an end to the penance of the boy, whose mind is im¬
mersed in deep contemplation.”

^ The gods, being thus pacified by the supremo, saluted
him respectfully, and retired, and, preceded by Indra,
returned to their habitations. But Hari, who is all
things, assuming a shape with four arms, proceeded
to Dhruva, being pleased with his identity of nature,
and thus addressed him: “Son of Utt4napada, be pros¬
perous. Contented with thy devotions, I, the giver of
boons, am present. Demand what boon thou desirest.
In that thou hast wholly disregarded external objects,
and fixed thy thoughts on me, I am well pleased with
thee. Ask, therefore, a suitable reward.” The boy,
hearing these words of the god of gods, opened his
eyes, and, beholding that Hari, whom he had before

BOOK I., CHAP. Xir.

169

seen in his meditations, actually in his presence, beai*-
ing, in his hands, the shell, the discus, the mace, the
bow, and scimetar, and crowned with a diadem, he
bowed his head down to earth: the hair stood erect
on his brow, and his heart was depressed with awe.
He reflected how best he should ofier thanks to the
god of gods, what he could say in his adoration, what
words were capable of expressing his praise; and, being
overwhelmed witli perplexity, he had recourse, for
consolation, to the deity. “If”, he exclaimed, “the
lord is contented with my devotions, let this be my
rewai’d,—that I may know how to praise him as I wish.
How can I, a child, pronounce his praises, whose abode
is unknown to Bralim4 and to others learned in the
Vedas? My heart is overflowing with devotion to
thee. 0 lord, grant me the faculty worthily to lay mine
adorations at thy feet.”

Whilst lowly bowing, with his hands uplifted to his
forehead, Govinda, the lord of the world, touched the
son of UttAnapAda with the tip of his conch-shdl. And
immediately the royal youth, with a countenance spark¬
ling with delight, praised respectfully the imperishable
protector of living beings. “I venerate”, exclaimed
Hhruva, “him whose forms are earth, water, fire, air,
ether, mind, intellect, the first element* (AhamkAra),
primeval nature, and the pure, subtile, all-pervading
soul, that surpasses nature.f Salutation to that spirit
that is void of (lualities; that is supreme over all the
elements and all the objects of sense, over intelleet,

» BhMddi. See my Arat note in p. 38, «upr«.
t Here, and in tho next sentence, “nature*' is for pradluma,

first note in p. 80, $v/pra»

See my

172

viSHihi purIna.

thee, as one with all existence. But the sources of
pleasure and of pdn, singly, or blended, do not exist
in thee, who art exempt from all qualities.^ Salutation
to thee, the subtile rudiment, which, being single, be¬
comes manifold. Salutation to thee, soul of existent
things, identical with the great elements. Thou, im¬
perishable, art beheld, in spiritual knowledge, as per¬
ceptible objects, as nature, as spu-it, as the world, as
Brahmd, as Manu, by internal contemplation.* But
thou art in all, the element of all: thou ait all, assuming
eveiy form: all is from thee; and thou ai*t fi'om thyself.
I salute thee, univeraal soul. Glory be to thee! Thou
art one with all things. 0 lord of all, thou art present

’ In life, or living beings, perception depends not, according
to Hindu metaphysics, npon the external senses; bnt the im¬
pressions made npon them are communicated to the mental organ
or sense, and by the mind to the understanding—Saihvid (^f^)
in the text—by which they are distinguished as pleasurable, pain¬
ful, or mixed. But pleasure depends npon the quality of good¬
ness; pain, on that of darkness; and their mixture, on that of
foulness, inherent in the understanding: properties belonging to
Jiveswara, or god as one with life, or to embodied spirit, but not
as Parameswara or supreme spirit.

"Thoa art regarded, in mental action, as the evolved, as pradhdna,
as spirit; Rsvir^\ samrdj, and swarcy; as, among souls, the imperishable
ftouU*

lor 'pradbma^ the same as prak^itiy see my first note in p. 18, and
the first in p. 20, supra. It is ahadikdray &c. that is meant by ^*the
evolved”, oiaf., pradkdna, Pradhdna, unqualified, is here to be taken as
nnevolved. Vir(^\ samrdjy and swarc§ are well-known technicalities of
the Vedanta philosophy.

The Supreme, under various aspects, is described in this couplet.

BOOK I., CHAP. Xir.

173

in all tilings. What can I say unto thee? Thou knowest
all that is in the heart, 0 soul o£ all, sovereign lord of
all creatures, origin of all things. Thou, who art all
beings, knowest the desires of all creatures. The desire
that I cherished has been gratified, lord, by thee. My
devotions have been crowned with success, in that I
have seen thee.”

Vishi'iu said to Dhruva: “The object of thy devotions
has, in truth, been attained, in that thou hast seen me:
for the sight of me, young prince, is never unproductive.
Ask, therefore, of me what boon thou desirest: for
men in whose sight I appear obtain all their wishes.”
To this, Dhruva answered: “Lord god of all creatures,
who abide&t in the hearts of all, how should the
wish that I chei*ish be unknown to thee? 1 will confess
unto thee the hope that my presumptuous heart has
entertained; a hope that it would be difficult to gratify,
but that nothing is difficult, when thou, creator of the
world, aril pleased. Through thy favour, Indra* reigns
over the three worlds. The sistei'-queen of my mother
has said to me, loudly and an'ogantly: ‘The royal
throne is not for one who is not bom of me’: and I
now solicit of the support of the universe an exalted
station, superior to all others, and one that shall endure
for over.” Vish/iu said to him: “The station that thou
askest thou shalt obtain: for I was satisfied with thee,
of old, in a prior existence. Thou wast, formerly, a
Brahman, whose thoughts were ever devoted to me,
ever dutiful to thy parents, and observant of thy duties.
In course of time, a prince became thy friend, who was

* Maghavat, in the original.

174

visfmr pubXjs'a.

iu tlie period of youth, indulged in all sensual pleasures,
and was of handsome appeai*ance and elegant form.
Beholding, in consequence of associatbg \N’ith him, his
affluence, you formed the desme that you might be
subsequently born as the son of a king; and, according
to your wish, you obtained a princely birth, in the
illustrious mansion of Uttanapada. But that which
would have been thought a great boon by others, bii-th
in the race of Swayaihbhuva, you have not so con¬
sidered, and, therefore, have propitiated me. The man
who worships me obtains speedy liberation from life.
What is heaven to one whose mind is fixed on meV
A station shall be assigned to thee, Dhruva, above the
three worlds;^ one in which thou shalt sustain the stars
and the planets; a station above those of the sun, the
moon, Mai’s, the son of Soma (Mercury), Venus, the
son of Siiiya (Satuim), and all the otlier constellations;
above the regions of the seven I^ishis and the divinities

* The station or sphere is that of the north pole, or of the
polar star. In the former case, the star is considered to be
Suniti, the mother of Dhi'uva. The legend, although, as it is
related in our text, it differs, in its circumstances, from the story
told, by Ovid, of Callisto and her son Areas, whom Jove
Imposuit cselo vicinaque sidera fecit,
suggests some suspicion of an original identity. In neither of the
authorities have we, perhaps, the primitive fable. It is evident,
from the quotation, that presently follows in the text, of a stanza
by Usanas, that the Purdna has not the oldest version of the
legend; and Ovid's representation of it is after a fashion of his
own. All that has been retained of the original is the conformity
of the characters and of the main incident, the translation of a
mother and her son to the heavens, as constellations, in which
the pole-star is the most conspicuous luminary.

BOOK I., CHAP. XU.

175

who traverse the atmosphere.^ Some celestial beings
endure for four ages; some, for the reign of a Manu.
To thee shall be granted the duration of a Kalpa. Thy
mother, Suniti, in the orb of a bright star*, shall abide
near thee for a similar term; and all those who, with
minds attentive, shall glorify thee at dawn, or at even¬
tide, shall acquhe exceeding religious merit.

Thus, the sage Dhruva, having received a boon from
tfanardana, the god of gods, and lord of the world,
resides in an exalted station. Beholding his glory,
Tlsanus, tire preceptor of the gods and demons, repeated
these verses: “Wonderful is the efficacy of this penance,
marvellous is its reward, that the seven l^ishis should
be jrrecedod by Dhruva. This, too, is the pious Sunfti,
his parent, who is called Siinfiti.”® Who can celebrate
her greatness, who, having given bhth to Dhruva, has
become the asylum of the tlrree worlds, enjoying, to
all future time, an elevated station, a station eminent
above all? Ho who shall worthily describe the ascent
into the sky of Dhruva, for ever shall be freed from
all sin, and enjoy the heaven of Indra. Whatever be
his dignity, whether upon earth, or in heaven, he shall
never fall from it, but shall long enjoy life, possessed
of every blessing.*

* The Vaimdnika devas, the deities -who travel in Vimdnae,
'heavenly ears’, oi*, rather, 'moving spheres.’

» The text says merely: ifJjaT I The commentator

says: ‘Perhaps* formerly so called’; ^ I We have already

remarked, that some Purddas so denominate her.

“ The legend of Dhruva is narrated in the Bhdgavala, Padnla

• TheWT? here rendered “perhaps”, connects two interpretations, and
meaus “or else’*.

176

viSHiSrci ptjrIna.

(Swarga Khanik), Agni, and Njiradiya, much to the same purport,
and partly in the same words, as our text. The Brahma^, and its
double, the Hari Vamsa, the Matsya, and Yayu, merely allude
to Dhruva’s having been transferred, by Brahmd, to the skies, in
reward of his austerities. The story of his religious penance
and adoration of Yishnu seems to be an embellishment inter¬
polated by the Yaishnava Puraiias^ Dhruva being adopted, as a
saint, by their sect. The allusion to Siinfitd, in our text, concurs
with the form of the story as it appeal's elsewhere, to indicate
the priority of the more simple legend.

CHAPTER XIII.

Posterity ot Dhruva. Legend of Vena: his impiety: he is put to
death by the Rishis. Anarchy ensues. The production of
Nishdda and Pfithu: the latter, the Brst king. The origin
of Suta and Magadha: they enumerate the duties of kings.
Prithu compels Railh to acknowledge his authority; he levels
it: introduces cultivation: erects cities. Earth called, after him,
Prithivi: typified as a cow.

Farasara. —The sons of Dhruva, by his wife l^am-
bhii, were Bhavya and iSlishti. Suchohhiiyd, the wife
of the latter, was the mother of five virtuons sons;
Ri))u, Ripnnjaya, Vipra, V^ikala, and Vfikatejas. The
son of Ripii, by B/‘ihatl, was the illustrious Ohakshusha,
who begot the Manu Chdkshusha on Pushkarifil, of the
family of Varmia, the daughter of the venerable patri¬
arch Anaraiiya. The Manu had, by his wife Naflvald,*
the (laughter of the pati'iarch Vair^ja, ten noble sons:
llru, Puru,f f^atadyuinna, Tapaswin, Satyavdch,Kavi,
Agnishfoma, Atinltra, Sudyumna, and Abhimanyu.
The wife of Uru, Agneyf, bore six excellent sons;
Anga, Sumanas, Sw6ti, Kratu, Angiras, and l^iva. Anga
had, by his wife Suulthd, only one son, named Vena,
whose right arm was rubbed, by the !6ishis, for the
pur]>ose of producing from it progeny. From the arm
of Vena, thus rubbed, sprang a celebrated monarch.

* Professor Wilson inadvertently put “Navald”.
t Pdru is the older form of this word, as, for instance, in the ifep-
ve^ ^dkwitakh dec.

1 .

13

178

VISHNO PCRiNA.

named Pfithu, by whom, in olden time, the eaiiih was
milked for the advantage of mankind. ^

* The descent of Prithu from Dhruva is similarly traced in
the Matsya Parana, but with some variety of nomenclature. Thus,
the wife of Dhruva is named Dhanya, and the eldest son of the
Mann, Taru. The Vayu introduces another generation; making
the eldest son of jSlishti,—or, as there termed, Pushti,—father of
Udaradhi, and the latter, the father of Ripu, the father of Cha-
kshusha^ the fatlier of the Manu. The Bhdgavata* has an almost
entirely different set of names, having converted the family of
Dhrava into personifications of divisions of time and of day and
night. The account there given is: Dhruva had, by his wif(^
Bhrami (revolving), the daughter of ^isumara (the sphere), Kalpa
and Vatsara. The latter married Swarvfthi, and had six sons:
Pushpdrria, Tigmaketu, Isha, Xjija, Vasu, Jaya, The first married
Prabha and Dosha, and had, by the former, Pratas (dawn),
Madhyandina (noon), and Saya (evening), and, by the latter,
Pradosha, Nisitha, and Vyushfa, or the beginning, middle, and
end, of night. The last has, by Pushkariiii, Chakshus, married
to Aknti, and the father of Ohdkshusha Manu. He has twelve sons:
Puru, Kntsa, Trita, Dyumna, Satyavat, Rita,f Vrata, Agnish^oma,
Atiratra, Pradyumna, Sibi, and Ulmuka. The last is the father
of six sons, named as in onr text, except the last, who is called
Gaya.t The eldest, Anga, is the father of Vena, the father of
Pfithu. These additions are, evidently, the creatures of the author’s
imagination. The Brahma Puraiia and Hari Vam^a have the
same genealogy as the Vishnu; reading, as do the Matsya and
Vdyu, Pushkarim or Vfranf, the daughter of Viraiia, instead of
Varuiia. They, as well as copies of the text, present several

♦ IV., 10 and 13.

t Professor Wilson had “Kritsna*’, and “Bhrita”, instead of

Kutsa, Trita, and Bita.

t The Bhdgavata’^wMa also has Ehydti, instead of Swdti. And see
toj second note in the next page*

BOOK I., CHAP. xrri.

179

Maixbe YA.— ^Best of Munis, tell me "why was the right
hand of Vena rubbed by the holy sages, in consequence
of which the heroic Pf ithu was produced.

PaeaiSara. —Sunlth4 was, originally,* the daughter
of Mf’ityu, by whom she was given to Anga to wife.
She bore him Vena, who inherited the evil propensities
of his matemal grandfathei*. When he was inaugurated,
by the Eishis, monai’ch of the earth, he caused it to
be eveiywhere proclaimed, that no worship should be
perfonned, no oblations offered, no gifts bestowed upon
the Brahmans. “I, the king”, said he, “am the lord of
sacrifice. For who but I am entitled to the oblations?”
The foshis, respectfully approaching the sovereign,
addressed him in melodious accents, and said: “Gra¬
cious prince, we salute you. Hear what we have to r*e-
preseiit. For the preservation of your kingdom and
your life, and for the benefit of all your subjects, per¬
mit us to wmrship Hari, the lord of all sacrifice, the
god of gods, witli solemn and protracted rites,^—a por-

ulUcr vttrioticB of nomenclature. The Padma Purida (Bhumi
Khaiida) says Anga was of the family of Atri; in allusion, per¬
haps, to the (arcumstanco, luontioned in the Brahma Purina, of
Uttanapida’s adoption by that foshi.

‘ With the Dirghasatra, ‘long sacrifice’; a ceremony lasting
u thousand ycai-s.

• Some MSS. bare, instead of TW-

I seems, therefore, better to substitute: “Snnitba ■was

Mfityu’s eldest daughter.”

The principal variants of the VUthM-'pwrdAa are as folOTs: for
“fllishfi”, iiishfi; for “Varuda", Virida; for “Anaradya”, Aiadya; for
“Kavi”, tiurhii for “Agnishfoma”, Agnishfuti _ for‘‘Sudynmna , Pra-
dyunma; for “Switi”, K.hy4tii for “&Ta”, Ushy.

IS*

180

VISHNU PURilSrA.

tion of tie fruit of which will revert to you.^ Vishhu,
the god of oblations,* being propitiated with saciifice
by us, will grant you, 0 king, all your desires. Those
princes have all their mshes gratified, in whose realms
Hari, the lord of sacrifice, is adored with sacrificial
rites.” “Who”, exclaimed Vena, “is superior to me?
Who besides me is entitled to worship ? Who is this
Haa-i, whom you style the lord of sacrifice? Brahm4,
Jan^rdana, l^ambhu, Indra, V4yu, Yama, Ravi (the
sun), Hutabhuj (fii'e), Varuna, Dhiitri, Piishan (the
sun), Bhiimi (earth), the loi'd of night (the moon),-—
aU these, and whatever other gods there be who listen
to our vows,—all these ai’e present in the person of a
king. The essence of a sovereign is all that is divine.f
Conscious of this, I have issued my commands: and
look that you obey them. You are not to sacrifice, not
to ofler oblations, not to give alms. As tlie first duty
of women is obedience to their lords, so observance
of my orders is incumbent, holy men, on you.” “Give
command, great king”, replied the liishis, “that piety
may suffer no decrease. All this world is but a ti'ans-

' That is, the land will be fertile in proportion as the gods
are propitiated; and the king will benefit accordingly^ as a sixth
part of the merit and of the produce will be his. So the com¬
mentator explains the word ^portion’: TEr^t VRI I

• Yajmpurusha, See my note in p. 163, supra.

In place of **whatever other gods there be who listen to our vows”,
read “whatever other gods bestow curses or blessings.”

The end of the stanza signifies, literally: “A king is made up of all
that is divine.”

BOOK I., OHAP. Xlir.

181

mutation of oblations; and, if devotion be suppi’essed,
the world is at an end.” But Vena was entreated in
vain; and, although this request was repeated by the
sages, ho refused to give the order they suggested.
Then those ])i<)ns Munis were filled with wrath, and
cried out to each othej': “Let this wicked wretch be
slain. The impious man who has reviled the god of
sacrifice,* who is without beginning or end, is not fit
to reign ovei* the earth.” And they fell upon thekmg,
and beat him with Idadcs of holy grass, consecrated
by ]n*ayer, and slew him, who had fii-st been destroyed
by liis impiety towards god.

Afterwards the Munis beheld a great dust arise; and
they said to Ihe people who were nigh; “What is this?”
And the people answered and said: “Now that the
kingdom is M'itliout a king, the dishonest men have
begun to seiw*. the property of their neighbours. The
great dust that you behold, excellent Munis, is raised
by troops of clustering robbers, hastening to fall upon
their prey.”f Tlie sages, hearing this, consulted, and
together I’ubhed the thigh of the king, who had left
no offspring, to produce u son. From tlie thigh, thus
rubbed, (* 4 une forth a being of the complexion of a
charred stake, with flattened features (like a negro),
and <)f dwaifish stature. “What am I to do?” cried
he CJigerly to the Munis. “Sit down” (nishfda), said
they; and thence, his name was Nishida. His descend¬
ants, the inhabitants of the Vindhya mountain, great
Muni, are still called Nish Adas, and are charactemed by

t There is here coufeiderable compression in the translatioii.

182

VISHNU PURANA.

the exterior tokens of depravity.^ By this means the
wickedness of Vena was expelled; those Nishd.das being

^ The Matsya says there were bom outcast or barbarous races,
Mlechchhas collyrium. The Bhagavata

describes an individual of dwarfish stature, with short arms and
legs, of a complexion as black as a crow, with projecting chin,
broad flat nose, red eyes, and tawny hair; whose descendants
were mountaineers and foresters. * The Padma (Bhumi Khanda)
has a similar description; adding to the dwarfish stature and black
complexion, a wide mouth, large ears, and a protuberant belly.
Tt also particularizes his posterity as Nishddas, Kirdtas, Bhillas,
Bahanakas, Bhrahmaras, Pulindas, and other barbarians or
Mlechchhas, living in woods and on mountains. These passages
intend, and do not much exaggerate, the uncouth appearance of
the Gonds, Koles, Bhils, and other uncivilized tribes, scattered
along the forests and mountains of central India, from Behar to

* BMgaioatcHpvjrMa, IV., 14, 43-46:

iret %rr?[T i

Burnoufs translation is in these words:

“Ayant piis cette resolution, les liichis secouerent rapidement la cnisse
du loi qu’ils avaient tn^, et il en sortit un nain

“Noir comme un corbeau, ayant le corps d’une extreme petitesse, les
bras courts, les machoires grandes, les pieds petits, le nez enfoncd, les
yeux rouges et les cheveux cuivres.

“Prostemd devant eux, le pauvre nain s’dcria: Que faut-il que je
fasse? Et les Br&hmanes lui r^pondirent: Assieds-toi, ami. De Ik lui
vint le nom de Nicbfida.

«C*e8t de sa race que sont sortis les Naichadas qui habitant les cavernes
et les montagnes; car c’est lui dont la naissance effaca la faute terrible
de T4na”

BOOK 1., UHAP. xm.

183

bom of his sins, and carrying them &way. The Brah¬
mans then proceeded to mb the right arm of the Trin g ^
from which friction was engendered the illustrious son
of Vena, named Pfnthu, resplendent in person, as if the
blazing deity of Fire had been manifested.

There then fell from the sky the piimitive bow (of
Mahddeva) named Ajagava, and celestial arrows, and
panoply from heaven. At the birth of Pi’ithu, all living
creatures rejoiced; and Vena, delivered, by his being
born, from the hell named Put, ascended to the realms
above.* The seas and rivers, bringing jewels (from
their depths), and water to perform the ablutions of
his instidlation, appeared. The great parent of ah,
Brahmii, with the gods and the descendants of Angiras
(the fires), and with all things animate or inanimate,
assembled, and peiformed the ceremony of consecrating
the son of Vena. Beholding in his right hand the
(mark of the) discus of Vishiiu, Brahm4 recognized
a jjortion of that divinity in Prithu, and was much
])leased. For the mai'k of Vishiiu’s discus is visible in
the hand of one who is born to be a universal emperor,^
one whose power is invincible even by the gods.

Khandosh, and who are, not improbably, the predecessors of the
present occupants of the cultivated portions of the country. They
are always very black, ill-shapen, and dwarfish, and have counte¬
nances of a very African character.

* A Chakravartin, or, according to the text, one in whom the
Chakra (tire discus of Vishnu) abides (vartate)j such a figure h'eing
delineated by the lines of the hand. The grammatical etymology
is: ‘He who abides in, or rules over, an extensive territory called
a Chakra.’

* See Original SantkrU Textt, Part I., pp. 60-68.

184

VISHls’li PUllX^A.

The mighty Piithu, the sson of Vena, being thus in¬
vested with universal dominion by those who were
skilled in the rite, soon removed the grievances of the
people whom his father had oppressed; and, from win¬
ning their affections. he derived the title of Raj& or
king.' The waters became solid, when he traversed
the ocean; the mountains opened him a path: his ban¬
ner passed unbroken (through the forests): the earth
needed not cultivation; and, at a thought, food was
prepared: all kine were like the cow of plenty: honey
was stored in every flower. At the sacrifice of the
birth of Prtthu, which was performed by Brahma, the
intelligent Sdta (herald or bard) was produced, in the
juice of the moon-plant, on the veiy birth-day.* At
that great sacrifice ^so was produced the accomplished
Mdgadha. And the holy sages said to these two per¬
sons: “Praise ye the king Pfithu, the illustrious son
of Vena. For this is your especial function, and here is
a fit subject for your praise.” But they respectfully
replied to the Brahmans: “We know not the acts of
the new-bora king of the earth. His merits are not
understood by ns: his fame is not spread abroad. In-
fonn us upon what subject we may dilate in his praise.”
“Praise the king”, said the itishis, “for the acts this

' From BAga ('^Tir), ‘passion’ or ‘afifeodon.' But the more
obrions etymolog7 is Edj (TT^Oj ‘to shine’ or ‘be splendid.’

* The birth of Pfithu is to be considered as the sacrifice, of
which BrahmA, the creator, was the performer. But, in other
places, as in the Padma, it is considered that an actual sacrificial
rite was celebrated, at which the first encomiasts were produced.
The Bhdgavata does not account for their appearance.

BOOK r,, ('HAP. XIII.

185

heroic monarch -willperfonn: praise him for the vii-tues
he will display.”

The king, hearing these words, was much pleased,
and reflected, that persons acquire commendation by
vu 1 ;nous actions, and that, consequently, his virtuous
conduct would be the theme of the eulogium which
the bards were about to pronounce. Whatever merits,
then, they should panegyiize, in their encomium, he
determined that he would endeavoui* to acquire; and,
if they should point out what faults ought to be avoided,
he would try to shun them. He, therefore, listened
attentively, as the sweet-voiced encomiasts celebrated
the future virtues of Pfithu, the enlightened son of Vena.

“The king is a speaker of truth, bounteous, an ob¬
server of his promises. He is wise, benevolent^ patient,
valiant, and a terror to the wicked. He knows his
duties; he acknowledges services 5 he is compassionate
and kind-S])oken. He respects the venerable; he per¬
forms sacrifices; he reverences the Brahmans. He
cherishes the good, and, in administering justice, is
indifferent to friend or foe.”

The virtues thus celebrated by the Sdta and the
Mdgadha were cherished in the remembrance of the
Raja, and practised, by him, when occasion arose. Pro¬
tecting this earth, the monarch perfonned many great
saci’ificial ceremonies, accompanied by liberal donar
tions. His subjects soon approached him, suffering
from the famme by which they wei-e afflicted; as all
the edible plants had perished during the season of
anarchy. In reply to his question of the cause of their
coming, they told him that, in the interval in which
the earth was without a king, all vegetable products

186

VISHNU HURiNA,

liacl been withheld, and that, consequently, the people
had perished. “Thou”, said they, “art the bestower
of subsistence to us; thou art appointed, by the creator,
the pi*oteetor of the people, ^'ant us vegetables, the
support of the lives of thy subjects, who are perishing
with hunger.”

On hearing this, Prithu took up his divine bow Ajar
gava, and his celestial aiTows, and, in great wrath,
marched forth to assail the Earth. Earth, assuming
the figure of a cow, fled hastily from him, and traversed,
through fear of the king, the regions of Brahmd and
the heavenly spheres. But, wherever went the sup¬
porter of living things, there she beheld Vainya with
uplifted weapons. At last, trembling (with terror), and
anxious to escape his arrows, the Earth addressed
Prithu, the hero of resistless prowess. “Know you
not, king of men”, said the Eai*th, “the sin of killing
a female, that you thus perseveringly seek to slay me?”
The piince replied: “'^en the happiness of many is
seem*ed by the destruction of one malignant being, the
death of that being is an act of virtue.” “But”, said
the Earth, “i:^ in order to promote the welfai'e of yoiu*
subjects, you put an end to me, whence, best of mon-
archs, will thy people derive theii* support?” “Dis¬
obedient to my rule”, rejoined Prithu, “if I destroy
thee, I will support my people by the efficacy of my
own devotions.” Then the Earth, overcome with ap¬
prehension, and trembling in every limb, respectfully
saluted the king, and thus spake: “All undertakings
are successful, if suitable means of effecting them are
employed. I will impart to you means of success,
which you can make use of, if you please. All vege-

BOOK I., CHAP. Xlir.

187

table products are old, and destroyed by me; but, at
your command, I will restore them, as developed from
my milk. Do you, therefore, for the benefit of mankind,
most virtuous of princes, give me that calf by which
I may he able to secrete milk. Make, also, all places
level, so that I may cause my mUk, the seed of all
vegetation, to flow everywhere around.”

Pfithu, accordingly, uprooted the mountams, by
hundreds and thousands, for myriads of leagues; and
they were, thenceforth, piled upon one another. Before
his time there were no defined boundaiies of villages
or towns, upon the in’egular surface of the earth; there
was no cultivation, no pasture, no agriculture, no high¬
way for merchants. All these things (or all civilization)
originated in the reign of Pi-ithu. Where the ground
was made level, the king induced his subjects to take
up their abode. Before his time, also, the fruits and
roots which constituted the food of the people were
procured with great difficulty; all vegetables having
been destroyed: and he, therefore, having made Swdr
yainbhuva Manu the calf,' milked the Earth, and re-

’ ‘Having willed or determined the Mann Sw&yaifibliura to
be"the calf;’

^ ^ ^ ji??: i

So the Padma Pnrida:

******** I

'irg ^ 5*r: jn: n

The Bhagavata* has: ^ I 'Having made the Mann

the calf.’ By the ‘calf’, or Mann in that character, is typified,
the commentator observes, the promoter of the mnltiplicafion of
progeny: I

* IV., 18, 19.

18fi VISHNU I'URANA.

oeived the milk into his ovi’ii hand, foi* the benefit of
mankind. Thence proceeded all kinds of corn and
vegetables upon which people subsist now and per¬
petually. By granting life to the Earth, Pfithu was
as her father: and she thence derived the pati’onymic
apjjellation Pxuthivf (the daughter of Pfithu). Then
the gods, the sages, the demons, the Rakshasas, the
G-andhai’vas, Yakshas, Pitids. sei'pents, mountains, and
trees, took a milking vessel suited to their kind, and
milked the earth of appropriate milk. And the milker
and the calf wei’e both peculiar to their own species. ^

^ The Matsya. Brahma. Bhilgavata. and Padma enter into a
greater detail of this milking, spccifiying, typically, the calf, the
milker, the milk, and the vessel. Thus, according to the Matsya,
the Rishis milked the earth through Brihaspati; their calf was
Soma; the Yedas were the vessel; and the milk was devotion.
When the gods milked the earth, the milker was Mitra (the sun);
Tndra was the calf; superhuman power was the produce. The
gods had a gold, the Pitfis, a silver, vessel; and, for the latter,
the milker was Antaka (death); Yama was the calf; the milk
was Swadh4 or oblation. The Nagas or snake-gods had a gourd
for their pail; their calf was Takshaka; Dhrilarashfra (the serpent)
was their milker; and their milk was poison. For the Asuras,
MAya was the milk; Firochaiia, the son of Prahlada, was the
calf; the milker was Dwimiirdhan; and the vessel was of iron.
The Yakshas made Vaisravana their calf; theii* vessel was of
unbaked earth; the milk was the power of disappearing. The
Rakshasas and others employed Raupyandbha as the milker;
their calf was Sumalin; and their milk was blood, Chitraratba
was the calf,Vasuruchi, the milker, of the Oandharvas and nymphs,
who milked fragrant odours into a cup of lotos-leaves. On behalf
of the mountains, Meru was the milker; Himavat, the calf; the
pail was of crystal; and the milk was of herbs and gems. The
trees extracted sap in a vessel of the Paldsa; the being the

BOOK I., CHAP. Xm.

189

Ibis iEoii'tli tlie jnothei', tli6 nursO) tlie receptacle,
and iiounslier, ol all exiatent tilings—^was produced from

milker, and the Plaksha, the calf. The descriptions that occur
in the Khagavala, Padma, and Brahma Puranas are, occasionally,
slightly varied; but they arc, for the most part, in the same
words ns that of the Matsya. These mystifications are, all,
probably, sabsequeut modifications of the original simple allegory,
which lypilh'd the earth as a cow, who yielded to every class of
beings the milk they desired, or tlie object of their wishes.

’ Thfi account given in the BhdgavatorfurdAa—V/'., 18, 12-27-
words:

TOI ^ I

^ wr ii

fK»PirT I

f^R^sr ^ Ii

^ T q^i* i , ii
tnsr: i

’raf *iwSl II

W IR I^ WITHTR ’RW : II

RTpref flTBT: I

f%rf# '•THfR fwf -sr ^ ii

^ ^ ' 'RV*im '< w4l ' RI| dl<i|«IR I

URWRT ii

ijsrTfw mrrrr: t^rftnnw: i
*wi% II

RHIlfgp t ’51^ ’n»TT^ ?I^RPH I

ftwtr ^ II

^npft ^ 'fit ^ I

fi<: ii a < ii’^ sni^tq^jiii^ f <1

-IS in

190

VISHNU PURAnA.

the sole of the foot of Vishhu. And thus was bom
the mighty Pfithii, the heroic son of Vena, who was

frnfw ^ H

^«ncrBW«f i

fgJIWffT II

iff iwwf^trw: II
inr ifi^: iflwrgT: ’sw’trraR: i

II

Bumouf s translation of tnis passage is as follcws:

“Se conformant an conseil amical et ntile de la terre, le roi lui donna
pour veau le Mann, et se mettant a la traire de sa main, il en tira
toutes les plantes aunuelles.

^^G'est ainsi <ine d'autres sages out su, comme ce roi, retireide toutes
choses une substance prkieuse; les autres etres vinrent 4galement traire,
selon lours d^sirs, la terre soumise par Pfithu.

*^Les &cMs, 6 sage excellent, lui donnant Biiliaspati pour veau, vinrent
aussi traire la vache divine; leurs organes etaient le vase dans lequel
ils re^urent le pur lait des chants sacr4s.

**Les troupes des Suras, lui amenant Indra comme veau, en tir^rent
le Soma, ce lait qui donne la force, r4nergie, la vigueur, et le re^urent
dans un vase d'or.

“Les Laityas et les Danavas, prenant comme veau Prahr&da, chef des
Asuras, vinrent la traire, et re^urent dans un vase de fer le lait des
liqueurs spiritueuses et des sues ferment^s.

“Les Gandharvas et les Apsaras, prenant un lotus pour vase, vinrent
aussi traire la vache; Yigvavasu fut le veau; le lait fut la douceur de
la voix et la beaute des Gandharvas.

“Les Pitns, dent Aryaman 4tait le veau, eurent pour lait Toffrande
qu’on pr4sente auxM&nes; lesDivinit4s des fundrailles, 6 grand sage, la
recueillirent avec foi dans un vase d'argile crue.

“Kapila fut le veau des Siddhas et des Yidy&dharas; le ciel fut le
vase dans lequel ils re^urent les oharmes et la puissance sumaturelle
qui consiste dans Tacte seul de la volont4. ,

“D’autres Dieux livr4s k la magie, prenant Maya pour veau, recurent
la MS.ya, simple acte de la reflexion, que connaissent les ^tres merveilleux
qui peuvent disparmtre k leur grA

“Les Takchas, les E4kchasas, les Bhdtas, les Pi^tchas et les Demons
qui se nourrissent de chair, prirent pour veau le chef des Bhutas, et
refurent dans un crilne le sang dont ils s’enivxent*

BOOK L, CHAP. Xin.

191

the lord of the earth, and who, from conciliating the
affections of the people, was the first ruler to whom
the title of R4j4 was ascribed. Whoeyer shall recite
this story of the bfrth of Pfithu, the son of Vena, shall
never suffer any retribution for the evU he may have
committed. And such is the vii’tue of the tale of
Pf'ithu’s birth, that those who hear it repeated shall
be relieved from affliction. *

• Another reading is, I ‘It

eotuiteracts evil dreams.’ The legend of Pi'ithu is briefly ^ven
in the MahibhArata, R<5ja Dharma, and oecui-s iu most of the
Purslhas, but in greatest detail in oui* text, in the BhAgavata, and,
especially, in the Padma, Bhumi Ehadda, s. 29 , 30. All the
versions, however, are, essentially, the same.

“Les reptiles, les serpents, les animanx venimenx, les Nigas prirent
Takchaka poor vean, et re?ureat dans leur bouche le poison qu’ils avaient
trait de la vache.

"Prenant pour venu le tauroau, et pour vase les forSts, les bestiaux
revurent I’herbo des p^turagos. Aocompagnies du roi des animaux, les
bStos firoces,

“Qui so nourrissent do chair, prirent la viande chaeune dans leur corps;
et les volatiles, amonant oomme vean SupatAa, eurent pour leur part
I’inseete qui se meut et le fruit immobile.

“Les arbres, rois des forfits, prsuant le figuierpour veau, recueillirent
chacnn lo Init de leur propre sAve; lea moutagnes, amenant I’Himavat,
recueillirent chaoune snr leurs sommets les mdtanx varids.

“Toutes les ordatnres enfin, prenant comme vean le chef de leur «p4ce,
re^urent chaoune dans leur vase le lait qu’elles itaient venues traire de
la vaohe, mire fioonde do tone Mens, qu’avait domptia Pfithu.

“C’est ainsi, 6 descendant de Knm, que Pfithu et les autres itres,
avides de nonrritnre, tronvirent tons d’exceUents aliments dans les diverses
espicss de lait qu’ils re^urent, en prisentant chacnn k la terre sou vean
et son vase."

CHAPTER XIV.

Descendants of Pfitbii. Legend of the Prachetasas: they are de¬
sired, by their father, to multiply mankind, by worshipping
Vishiiu: they plunge into the sea, and meditate on and praise
him: he appears, and grants their wishes.

PiiTHU had two valiant sous, Antai’dhi and Palin. ‘
The son of Antardhdna, by his wife Sikhahdinl, was
Havirdhdna, to whom Dhishahd, a princess of the race
of Agni, bore six sons: Prdchinabarhis, l^ukra, Gaya,

* The text of the Yayu and Brahma (or Hari Yamsa) read,
like that of the Yishnu:

M. Langlois ^ understands the two last words as a compound
epithet: “Et jouirent du pouvoir de se reudre invisibles.” The
construction would admit of such a sense :f bnt it seems more
probable that they are intended for names. The lineage of Pfithu
is immediately continued through one of them, Antardhdna, which
is the same as Antardhi; as the commentator states, with regard
to that appellation: M'jHt I and as the commentator

on the Hari Yaih^a-remarks, of the succeeding name:

{ ‘ One of the brothei* * * § s being called Antardhdna
or Antardhi’ leaves no other sense for Palin but that of a proper
name. The Bhdgavata J gives Pfithu five sons: Yijitdswa, Dhiimra-
kesa, Haryaksha, Dravina, and Yfika; and adds,§ that the elder
was also named Antardhdna, in consequence of having obtained,
from Indra, the power of making himself invisible:

vwT^PiTT^r^T’RffiR: i

* Vol L, p. 10.

+ The alternative sense implies, rather, that they had the disposition
to render themselves invisible.

t IV., 22, 54.

§ IV,, 24, 8.

BOOK L, CHAP. XIV.

193

Krishna, Vraja, and Ajina.^ The first of these was a
mighty prince and j)atriarch5 by whom mankind was
multiplied after the death of Havirdhaua. He was
called Prachfnabarhis, from his placing upon the eaith
the sacred grass, pointing to the east.- At the teimma-

^ The Bhagavata, as usual, modifies this genealogy. Antar-
dhana Las, by Sikhaiidini, three sons, who were the three fires,
Pavaka,Pavamana, and Sucbi,'* condemned, by a curse ofVasishfha,
to be born again. By another wife, Nabhaswati, he has Havir-
dhana, whose sons are the samef as those of the text; only
giving another name, Barhishad, as well as Prachinabarhis, to
the first. According to the Mabablnirata (Moksha Dharma), which
has been followed' by the Padma Puraiia, Prdcliinabarbis was
born in the family of Atri:

i

II

^ The <ext is,

Tn^«n<Mi: i

Kusa or Barliis is, properly, ‘sacrificial grass’ (Poa); and Pnlchi-
uagra, literally, ‘having its tips towards the east’; the direction
in which it should be placed upon the ground, as a seat for the
gods, oil occasion of offerings made to them. The name, there¬
fore, intimates either tliat the practice originated with him, or,
as the commentator explains it, that he was exceedingly devout,
offering sacrifices, or invoking the gods, everywhere:

I The Hari VaihsaJ adds a verse to that of our text,

reading:

^ lihctyamta-purdfia, .IV,, 24, 4. At IV., 1, 59, they are spoken of
as sons of Agni by Swaha. Anil see pp. 155 and 156, supra,
t The WidgavaUtrjmrdna^ IV,, 24, 8, gives their names as follows;
Barhishad, Gaya, l^ukla, KGsbiia, Satya, and Jitavrata.

:|. Stanza 85.

13

194

MSHNU PURANA-

tion of a rigid penance, he married Savarha, the daugh¬
ter of the ocean, who had been preriously betrothed

which M. Langlois* has rendered: ‘Quand il marcliait sur la
terre, les pointes de cousa 4taient courb4es vers Torient’; which
he supposes to mean, ‘que ce prince avait tourn6 ses pens4es et
port6 sa domination vers Test:’’ a supposition that might have
been obviated by a little further consideration of the verso of
Manuf to which he refers: ‘‘If he have sitten on culms of kuia,
with their points toward the east, and be puriied by rubbing that
holy grass on both his hands, and be further prepared by three
suppressions of breath, each equal, in time, to five ehort vowels, he
then may fitly pronounce The commentary explains the

passage as above, referring d^'^TfXU! * to not to

as:

wn. i xtxt: ^ irrfhr^: i

‘He was called Prachinabarhis, because his saa’ed grass, point¬
ing east, was going upon the very eai-th, or was spread over the
whole earth.’§ The text of the Bhagavataf also explains clearly
what is meant:

‘By whose sacred grass, pointing to the east, as he performed
sacrifice after sacrifice, the whole earth, his sacrificial ground,
was overspread.’H

• Vol. I., p 10. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ t IL, 76:

wrpTFr: i

UT^RlUf^fiX: iJTOW II

I This rendering, which is that of Sir William Jones, is not altogether
in keeping with the commentary of Kulluka Bhaffa.

§ Rather: ‘‘On his land the sacred grass, pointing towards the east,
was forthcoming on the face of the earth, as it were, that is to sag,
was filling the entire circuit of the earth. Hence he was called Pri-
chinabarhis.’’

II lY., 24, 10.

% Burnouf—Vol. IL, Preface, p. III., note—renders thus: “O’est lui
qni, faisant succ4der les sacrifices aux sacrifices, couvrit de tiges de Ku^a

BOOK I., CHAP. XIV.

195

to him, and who had, by the king, ten sons, who were
all styled Prachetasas, and were skilled in military
science. They all observed the same duties, practised
religious austerities, and remained immersed in the
bed of the sea for ten thousand years.

Maetebya. —^You can inform me, great sage, why
the magnanimous Prachetasas engaged in penance in
the waters of the sea.

Par^aea.—T he sons of Prdchfnabarhis were, ori¬
ginally, informed, by their father, who had been ap¬
pointed as a patriai'di, and whose mind was intent on
multiplying mankind, that he had been respectfully
enjoined, by Brahm4, the god of gods, to labour to
this end, and that he had promised obedience. “Now,
therefore”, continued he, “do you, my sons, to oblige
me, diligently promote the increase of the people: for
the orders of the father of all ci'eatures are entitled to
respect.” The sons of the king, having heard their
father’s words, replied: “So be it.” But they then in¬
quired of him, as he could best explain it, by what
means they might accomplish the augmentation of man¬
kind. He said to them; “Whoever worships Vishhu,
the bestower of good, attains, undoubtedly, the object
of his desire^. There is no other mode. What further
can I tell you? Adore, therefore, Govinda, who is Hari,
the lord of all beings, in order to effect the increase

dont ies 6xtr4mii4s regardaient roridxii, la sniikce do la terre, dont il
faisait ainsi tin terrain consacr4.’*

Also see the BhdgavatOrfuirdAa^ IV., 29, 49.

Sridhara Swdmin's comment on IV., 24, 10, is as follows;

vTfrsj tpt

196

VISHNU PUKANA.

of the human race, if yon wish to succeed. The eternal
Purushottama is to he propitiated by him who wishes
for virtue, wealth, enjoyment, or liberation. Adore
him, the imperishable, by whom, when propitiated, the
world was first created; and mankind will assni*edly
be multiplied.”

Thus instructed by tlieir father, the ten Prachetasas
plunged into the depths of the ocean, and, wdth minds
wholly devoted to Nirtlyana, the sovereign of the
univei'se, who is beyond all worlds, were engrossed
by religious austeidty for ten thousand years. Remain¬
ing there, they, with fixed thoughts, praised Hari, who,
when propitiated, confers on those who praise him all
that they desme.

Maitreya.— The excellent praises that the Prache¬
tasas addressed to Vishi'm, whilst they stood in the
you, 0 best of Munis, ai'e qualified to rej)eat

to me.

Paeai§ara. —^Hear, Maitreya, the hymn which the
Prachetasas, as they stood in the watei*s of the sea,
sang, of old, to Giovinda, their nature being identified
with him:—

“We bow to him whose gloiy is the perpetual theme
of every speech; him firat, him last; the supreme lord
of the boundless world; who is primeval light; who is
without his like; indivisible and infinite; the origin of
all existent things, movable or stationary. To that
supreme being who is one with time, whose first forms,
though he be without fonn, are day and evening and
night, be adoration! Glory to him, the life of all living
things, who is the same with the moon, the I'eceptacle
of ambrosia, drunk daily by the gods and progenitoi-s;

BOOK I.J CHAP. XIV.

197

to him who is one w'ith the snn, the cause of heat and
cold and rain, who dissipates the gloom, and illuminates
the sky with his radiance; to him who is one with
earth, aU-peiwadiiig, and tlie asylum of smell and other
objects of sense, supporting the whole world by its
solidity! We adore ^at fonn of the deity Hari which
is water, the womb of the world, the seed of all living
beings. Glory to the mouth of the gods, the eater of
the Havya; to the eater of the Kavya, the mouth of
the progenitors; to Vishi'iii, who is identical with fire;
to him who is one with am, the origin of ether, existing
as the five vital airs in the body, causing constant vital
action; to him who is identical with the atmosphere,
pure, illimitable', shapeless, separating all creatures!
Glory to Kinshiia, who is Brahm4 in the fonn of sen¬
sible objects; who is ever the direction of the faculties
of sense! We offer salutation to that supreme Hari
who is one with the senses, both subtile and substantial,
tlie recipient of all impressions, the root of all know¬
ledge; to the universal soul, who, as internal intellect,
delivers the impressions,received by the senses, to soul;
to him who has the properties of Prakfiti; in whom,
without cud, rest all things; from whom all things pro¬
ceed; and who is that into which all things i*esolve.
We worship that Purushottoma, the god who is pure
spii'it, and who, without qualities, is ignorantly con¬
sidered as endowed with qualities. We adoi’e that
supreme Bi’alima, the ultimate condition of Vishfiu,
unproductive, unbom, pure, void of qualities, and fi’ee
from accidents; who is neither high nor low, neither
bulky nor minute, has neitlier shape, nor colour, nor
shadow, nor substance, nor affection, nor body; who

198

VISHNU rUR^NA.

is neither ethereal nor susceptible of contact, smell, or
taste; who has neither eyes, nor ears, nor motion, nor
speech, nor breath, nor mind, nor name, nor race, nor
enjoyment, nor splendour; who is mthout cause, with¬
out fear, without eiTor, without fault, undecaying,
immoi'tal, free from passion, without sound, impercep¬
tible, inactive, independent of place or time, detached
fi-om all investing properties; but (illusively) exercising
iiTesistible might, and identified with all beings, de¬
pendent upon none. Grloiy to that nature of Vishfiu,
w’hich tongue cannot tell, nor has eye beheld!”

Thus gloiifying Vishfiu, and intent in meditation on
him, the Prachetasas passed ten thousand years of
austerily in the vast ocean; on which, Hari, being
pleased with tiiem, appeared to them amidst the waters,
of the complexion of the full-blown lotos-leaf. Behold¬
ing him mounted on the king of birds, (Garuda), the
Prachetasas bowed down their heads in devout hom¬
age; when Vishfiu said to them: “Receive the boon
you have desired; for I, the giver of good, am content
with you, and am present.” The Prachetasas replied
to him with reverence, and told him that the cause of
their devotions was the command of their father to
effect the multiplication of mankind. The god, having,
accordingly, granted to them the object of their prayei*s,
disappeared; and they came up from the water.

199

CORRIGENDA, &o.

P. Vir.» notes , 1. 4, So runs the stanza in the Mat^a^ K4rma, and
other Puranas. The Mdrka/ideya-'purMa, in its concluding chapter,
has the same, -with the exception of for The Vishihi-

purd7ia, IIL, 6, 17, reads:

TTfireriN ^ ^ i

For the second line, it gives, at ¥1,, 8, 2:

w i

P. XXX,, 11. G and 32. Read Bhdmi KhaMa.

P. XLir., 1. 18. Read Vena,

P. XLV,, notes, 1. 4. Read editor's note in p. LV., ir^a.

P. LVII., notes, 1. 2. Read Venkafa.

P. LXIll, 1. 11. Read Swayaiiihhu.

P. LXVI., note, 1. 2. For ^ (?) read y^cj ’ uf.

P. LXXXVIJ., 1. 2. “Durvasasa” is the reading of Professor Wilson’s
MR. Hut it is ungrammatical.

P. XCV., 11. 15 and 20. Read ^atardpa.

P on, notes, 1. 4. Read Christa Sangita.

P. OXXll., 1. 2 ab infra. Read Maruts.

P. C* The Translator’s noto is here misnumbered. And the same is
the case at pp. 19 and 34

P. 22, notes, I. 2 infra. For p. 15 read p. 18.

P. 25, notes, 1. 13. Professor Wilson must nave adopted the following
reading, that of a few MSS. which I have seen:

200

ronRiRENnA. &c.

^RTfr ^ HT^: i w i ^ <t^. &<••• and

tnn^, &C, quoted at p 46. ^TPSTt f Trerf^ f^ ^ T ' ^ lT fil^i ^

I ’?nft 5RTOT^irnsif^«^f|g^

?fH »nw: I w I f«r4wRWTf^3[^^ ^
-jTrft^^T^Tant^

ft TrTfW arftisn^ i ^t^-

^ I ^4’4IW(MT, &c., quoted at p 46. TpiTTr ^Itft

w.irMT w^rftft I ^ Tt^^ ww

Tt^ ^nSwr v;^ M T ^rj UTT ft tftgr#: i

The possapfe thus annotated \viH he found tianslaled in Original
Sanskrit TeMs^ Part lY., p. 31, foot-note.

P. 56, 1 5. Bead KaraK

P. 69, notes, 1. 12, Bead I-am-ness

P 85, notes, I 6. Refeiring to this place, Professor Wilson has written:
**M. Bunion f lenders ^astra^ les prices [mentalcs] qui sont comme la
glaive; and, in a note in the Tishiiu Burdnay 1 have tianslated the
same expression of the Bhdyavata, Mho unutteied incantation’. But
it may be doubted if this is quite correct. The difference between
mstra and stoma seems to be, that one is recited, whether audibly
or inandibly; the other, sung,*’ Translation of the Aig-veda^ Vol T.,
p. 22, note.

P. 86, notes, 1.1C. Read 4^141^:4^ |4i<>. L. 27. For reorf^'^.

P. 110, notes, 1. 2 ab infra. The passage to which I refer is IV, 1, 40
and 42. At III., 24, 23 and 24, as Professor Wilson says, Arundhati
is married to Vasishtha, and Sdnti, to Atharvan.

P. Ill, notes, 1. 4. Bead Dharma’s.

P. 124, notes, 1, 6 ah infra. Bead

P. 125, notes, 1. 3 ah infra. Bmd Yamacharins.

P. 135, notes, 1. 3 ah infra. B£ad

P. 136, 1, 4. Bead 6achi.

P. 142, 1 2, Bead Maruts. Notes, 1. 6 ah infra. Bead Savitri.

P 152, notes, 1, 6 ab infra. What is really stated is, that Prdiia had

two sons, VedaiSiras and Kavi; and the latter was father of Ulianas.
See Burnonfs Bhdgavatarpiirdnai Tol. IT., Preface, pp VI-IX.

P. 155, notes, 1. 13. %ad Puiyd.

P. 164, notes, 1. 4. Bead Dharada.

P. 170, notes, 1. 6. Bead

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Special Sanction of the Poet. By Joii» ** a bridgeless ehasm seonu to stand brtween

lli:vMOK«BuicT.12mo. l»p. 126.London, na and the unexplo^worldirf fc ging_ Jl^^

and SarprUwg Adrfnturw tf. With anmtelhgiblofbTOlfiedrmeieaaon ofw;^^^
Thirty origimif m«8tiations(Ton ftxil- otolm^nafi^hay^^dyortvalinE^
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cutO» AlfrkD CBOWQUHjL. Owwn ^Qj^od to associate with the maturity of a writer's

8 VO. omainontal cover, nchly fi^lt front powcis."—(ywon/iaw . ___^ **

amlluMsk 7 h. fid. «KxauWtoJy *>tontifW wxlttog. • • • • «

[Lidlan mter-
snggeatod by

iSi .lelWittllHw'k. yajtm

PreRCOtt (Miss,) Sin Rohan’s Ghost :
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Read (Thomas Buchaitas). Poems.
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Reade (Chaei.es). The Cloister and
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In four volumes. Third edition Vol. L,
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m; Vol.lV„pp.435. £1 11s 6d.

Ditto. Fourth Edition. In

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• Cream. Contains “Jack of

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■ Love me Little, Love mb

Lono. In two volumes, iwst 8vo. Vol.
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....-The Eighth Com¬

mandment 8 VO. Pp 380 14s.

... - -White Lies ; a Story In

three volumes, 8vo Vol. I, pp. 800 ;
Vol. II., PP.2S8; Vol. III.,pp.2a3.£l Is
Reynard the Fox ; a/tar the Gtmnan
Vimon qf Qothe. By Thomas J, Ar¬
nold, Esq. , ^

** Fair Jester’s hnmonr and
Neveroflend, though smoitly they hit.”
With Seventy Illustrations, after the
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“ Xae translation of Mr. Arnold has been
held more truly to represent the spirit of
Guth^ great poem than any other version of

” II no novelty, except to purchasers of
Christmas books, m Kaulbachra admirable illus-
trationsoftbewwld-fiunous ^Jia/nardtheFooB.*
Among all the English translations Mr. T. J-
Amola holds at least h!s own. and we do not
know that this edition, pablished bvTrabner,
with the Eanlbauh engravmga, reduced and
jaithftiUy lendeiedon wood, does not stand in
the very first rank ot the senes we are commut¬
ing upon, hlr, llaiTseon Weir is a good artist,
but m true comic power he is fkr inferior to
Kaulbadh. We do nothco how this volumecan,
in its way, be excelled-’^iSteturetoir ifeweio.

** Gothe*s ^Seinecke ’ Is a marvel of
genius and poetic art ^ lieunard the Fox * la
more blessed thou Alexander • hts ato^ has
been written by one of the greatebt of the
human race, and another oi inimitable genins
has added to the poet'b narrative the auxiliary
light of the paluter'b skill. Perhaps no ai tut»
not even our own Landbeer, nor the French
Osvanii-ever excelled Kanlbach in the art of
eiusing a human cxprcsbion uito the ooun-
tnanccb and attnbutes of brutes, and this
maivcllons bkill he has exerted in the liigUest
deareein the lllubtiaticins to the book before
xa.'^-^iUtatrated yeicsuft^ WotltU

**The illustrations are unrivalled for tlielr
humour and mosteiy of cxpiebslon and detail.*^

—Foimmuit , ^ ,

Of all the numerous Christmas works
whidi liavebceii lately publtslied, tins is hkcly
to be the most acceptable, not only as regards
the binding, the print, and the paper, which are
excellent, but also because it is illubtratcd with
Kaulbaoh^ celebrated designs.”—Court Jintmk

Scliefei*. The Bishop’s WiiTs. A Tale
of the ]^pa(W* TrcUislatod fh>m the
<^rman of Leopold Sohefer. By
Mrs. J. B. Stodart. 12mo. cloth, 2s. Cd.
The Artist’s Married Life :

being that of Albert Bureb
dovout Disciples of the Arts, Prudent
Maidens, as well as for the Profit and
Instruction of all Chnsteudom, given
to the light Translated from the
Gorman ot I^opold Sohefer, by Mrs.
J, R. Stodaet. Post Svo. Pp. 98,
sewed, Is. 1853.

Stevens (Brook B.) Seasoning fob a
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Ti auslatod with Inti oduotory Remarks.

Anna Swanwiok. 8vo. Pp. xvi.
and 290, doth. 1846. 6s.

Teener (F.) The Frzthjof Saga ; a
Boandinavhm Romance. Translated
into Bngh^, in the onginal metres, by
C. W. Hscebthobn, of Basle. One voL
ISmo. doth. Pnoe 3s. 6d.

Wbipple. Litebatube and Life.
Lectures by B. P. Whipple, Author oi
“ Essays and Reviews.” Svo. Pp.114,
sowed. 1851. lb.

Wilson. The Village Pearl: A
Doznestie Poem. With Miscellaneous
Pieces. By John Craufobd Wiison,
12 x 00 . Pp. viii. and 140, doth. 185i.
8s. 6d.

WInckelmann. The History of
Ancient art among the Greeks. By
John Winckslmann. From the Ger¬
man, by G. H. Lodge. Beautifully
Illustrated. Svo. Pp. vui. and 264,
doth, 12s. 1850.

“ThatWinekdmann was wall fitted for the
task of writing a Ilibtoi^’ of Ancient Art, no one
can deny who is acquainted withhib profound
learning and genius. .... He imdoubtcdly
possebsed, in thelhighcst degree, the power oi
appreciating artistic skill wheievcr it was met
with, but never moie so than when seen in the

garb ot antiquity.The work is of

~no common omer,* and a careful study of the
great principles embodied in it must necessarily
tend to fonn a pme, eurrect, and elevated tObte.”
—AVZflcftc Itenew.

“ The work w throughont lucid, and free ft om
the iiedonhy of tcchnieahty. Its clearness con¬
stitutes its griat ohflxxn. It does not discuss
any one subject at gicat length, but aims at a
general view of Ait, with attention to its minute
dei’elopments. It a, if we may use the phrascu
a Groinniai of Grcdc Ait, a sine qua non to all
who would tboroughlv mvestigam its language
of fbim.” Ldmarjf Wer^

Trubifi^r <& Co.y 60, Paternoster How,

“Tmdfelmann is a etandord writer, to whom
mort students of art liave been more or less in-
debted lie posted extensive information, a
refined ta^ and gient zeal. Uib stylo is plain,
dire^ imd specific, so that you ore never at a
loss for his meanmg. Some very good outlines,
lupwsentina fine types of Ancfeift arcek Axt^
illustrate the text, and the volume is got up in a
style woithy of its Bubiect.’\--S|p«tator,

“ To all lovers of art, this volume will’fur¬
nish the most necessary and safe gmdc in study¬
ing the pure pimmples of nature and boaut^n
creative ait. • • • We cannot wish better

to English art than for a wide circulation of this
invaluable vror]t."-"Stiandaid<tf FnedoM,

“The mixture of tte philosophci and artist
in Winekelmann's mind gave it at once an ele

ganc& penetradim, and knowledge, which fitted
him to a mmvel for the to^ he undertook* . .
Such a work ought to be in the hbi oi y of every
artist wd man of taste, and cwn the most
general reatler will find m it much to instiact,
and much to interest lum.*Wdctf.

'Wise, Captain Brand, of the “ Centi¬
pede/* a Pirate of Smiuouco in the
west Indies: His Loves and Exploits,
together \n.th some Account of the Sin¬
gular Manner m which he depaited
this Life. By Lieut. H. A. WiSB, u.SJ^.
12mo. Pp. 3^. €s.

Seograpliy, Tiavds, etc.

Barker. A Short Historical Acooimt
of the Crimea^ Arotn the Earliest Ages
to the Russian Occupation; and a
Description of the Geographical Fea¬
tures of the Country, and of the Man¬
ners, Customs, etc., of its Inhabitants,
with Appends. Ooi^iled firom the
best authonties, by W. Buboehardt
Babkbb, Esq» M.R.A 3, Author of
** Lares and Penates,” tiie “ Turkish
Beading Book,” ** Turkish Grammar
and many years resident in Turkey, m
on offldal oapadLty. Map. Fop. 8vo.
3s. 6d.

Benlsch. Tbaybls of Rabbi Pbtaohza
of Ratzsbon : who, m the latter end of
the twelfth century, visited Poland,
Russia, Little Tartaa^, the Crimea, Ar¬
menia, Assyria, Syru^ the Holy Land,
and Oroece. Translated fiom the He¬
brew, and pubhshod, together with the

Kolil. Traveis in Canada, and

THBOTJOH THE STATES OP NEW YoEK

AND Pennsylvania- By I. J. Kohl.
Translated by Mas. Percy Sinnett.
Revised by the Author. Two vols,
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Krapf. Travels, Rbsbabghbs, and Mis¬
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Years’ Residenoe on the fikistem Coast
of Africa. By the Rev. Dr. J. Lewis
Krapf. late Missionary m the soivice
of the Chimdh Missionary Society in
Eastern and Equatorial Amca; to which
is prefis^ed a concise Account of Geogra¬
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priee 218, cloth.

the Translator and William F. Ains^
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witib. Observations on the Pre-Incannl,
innanal, and other Monuments of Pe¬
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Falkenor (Edward). A Description of
some Important Theatres ondf other
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Being a Supplement to the ** Museum
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ColOTlu (Ivan) The Caucasus. In
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----The Nations of Russia and

I’urkoy, and thoir Dostmy. Pp. 370,
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dibcovcry of moaem time 8 -* 4 Uiim«iy, toat tnc
centre of AtHca ia not oaoupieil, as wu formerly
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of groat inland lakes some oi winch arennndxeda
oi miica m length. Hardly any one dlacovexy has
thrown 80 much light on the formation of the
earth’s surioee as thiB.”—i 8 Sa/urrfap Iteview.

“ Dr. Krapfs work is superior m interest to
to the well-miown narrative ot Mofiatt in some
parte, It Is equal m novelty to the mobtottr^ve
chaptOT ol Barth and lavingstone. Dr B^pf
trav^ well, and wntoa as a traveller should
write,and 8 e]dom claims any indulgence ffomthe
reader.'^At&onteioa. . ^

“ Scarcely any PJgesto Ijvinsetoneexeeedm
Inteiert some of K»pf8^ventnr» The
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the m^ catehil iierusol.’'—Xifoi ary Ckuetti*

Lanse. the Upper Rhine: Illua-
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and Landscapes. Prom Drawings by
Messrs. Rohbook, Lours and Juuus
Lanqb. Engraved by the most distln-
ffuished Aitists. With a ibstory and
Topographioal Text. Edited ly Dr.
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Loudon, 1869. £2 2s.

Catalogue of Important ^Yo{lce,

Pat on. HranMtcHEs ok the Danube
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Sorvia and Bulgaria. By A A. Paton,
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**Wq never came oemss a work which more
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“Theinterestot these volume^ lies partly m
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1 JJeueir.

“ Tlic work is written m a pleasant and read¬
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RaTenstein. The Busszum ok teib
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“ This u a work of real and permanent value
Mr Ba\ eastern has set himself a weighty task,
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posMblo to uiune any subject beanne upon the
Amur, which is not considered in thu volume.”
~~Ecunomt6t.

“Mr. Ravenstein»S work is worthy of high
commendation It throws much additional and
interesting light on a connti^ but comparatively
little known ''—Mitnuntt Advettu>er.

“ It IS a perfect handbook of the Amur, and
will be consulted by die historian, the pohtician,
the geographer, the naturalist, the ethnologist,
tlie merchant and the genera] reader, with equal
mtereat and pxofit.'^C[>Z6um’s ifeio Month!!/
J/aoasinc.

** The most complete and comprehensiTe work
on the Amur that we have seon Quar-

tertyReoiew,

“ The espeetations ezdted by the announce¬
ment of this pregnant volume are amply fhl£Ued
by its execution.... The book bearaevidence
in every iMge of the toil and (^sctentionsnesi
of the author. It is pa^ed ftill with valuable
infonaation. There fs not a word thrown away t
and the care with which the fhets are morahalled,
attests the gieat pains and consideration tlmt
, have been bestowed upon tho plan of thework ”
—/iomc .Veics.

“ It IS a thoroughly conscientious work, and
Ibimahee'wftiirinftirmatlon on all points of
I Interest The lllastrations are extremely good;
the maps are excellent"—2Vle Press.

“ Mr. Bavenstem's hook contains the fullest
I fuad latest accounts of Eussia's annexations m
' onentol quarters, mdM, ^therefore, a highly
valuable and usenil addition to Rn ghab know¬
ledge thereof."—'Dublin Matioa.

“^.Raveneteinhosproducedaworkofsolid
infonnatiou—a capital book of refbronce—on a
nibjeot otmeenung which E^liahmen will, be¬
fore long, desire au the trustworthy mloimatioii
they can get "—Globe,

“In eonclusi^ we must compliment Mr,
Aovenatean on the skill which he has a^wn osa

compilei lie himself has never visited the
Amur, and has composed his work entirely firom
the accounts of previous travellers But he has
done it so well, that few leadeis except those
whose business It is to be suspicious, would have
found it out, if It hod not been acknowle^d in
the preface.’*—Zifcm/ v Budget,

“Thebook has, of oomsc, no pretensions to
the freshuesb of a narrative of personal explora¬
tion and adventure, but it u by no means un-
pleosont roaduig, even from this point of view,
while for those who oieposacsscd of ageugraplu-
cal taste, which is in some degree a tiung apart, it
will Itave a high degree of interest.* —/^cem/or
“Thib book 18 a jgood honest bcsik—alibok that
was needed, and that may be referred to os a re¬
liable source of mformatlon "—Aihtnas>im
“ The work before us is foil of important and
Bceuiate information “—ZonJmi Review
“His book 18 by for the most comprehensive
review of all that has licen obbcrved and ascer¬
tained of a little-known portion of Asia."—
Ottmdian,

“ There is abreodth and massiveness about the
work which mark it oft very distinctly from the
light books of travel or history which are written
to amuse a i ailioad tra> ellcr, or a subsaibcr to
Mudie’b "—Churn Tc/fffmpA

The volume deserv'es a corefol perusal, and
it will be found exceedingly mstruotive."—
Owevver,

“The aim of Mr. Bavcnstoin has been to make
his book one of authuiity, and in this he has
ceitainij' been most successful.”—Pelfs ifes-
tfomer,

“ We are fortunate, too, in our opportunity,
for it would be hard to find a more carefol or
trustworthy guide than Mr. Ravenstem, who
has not only availed himself ot all accessible
pnblications on the sul^ect, but has also enjoy^
tlie immense odvonta^ of holding personal
communication with Umvion offloers aho had
seivedon the Amur.”—A/Zen’s fnJian Mail,

“ The book to which we are indebted tor our In¬
formation is a perfect magojcme ol knowledge,
and must become thestancuud woi k on the Amur.
It does not affleot hvebness or hrlllianey, but
18 constantly perspicuous, mteresting, and com¬
plete. We have never opened a more satis&c-
tory and well-oiranged collection of all that is
teowu on any given subject, than Bavenstem's
Russians on the Amur "—Liiapool Daily Pu»t,
“A well-wntten work.*'—Post
“The account by Mr Raveust^ of their
Imw-oontmued efiorts and lecent Bnooea8,i8 one
of the moat complete books we have ever met
with—it is an exhaustive monograph of the poli¬
tical history and natural resource ofacount^
of which but little was before known in Buxope,
and that little had to be extracted foom obscure
sounm. laixnix has been most oonscien-
faouslyperfoimed by the anthor The various
Journeys of Russian explorers, the early preda¬
tory hmursions, the narratives of missionaries,
and the aoconnts of the Climese themselves,
are ^^ttogetlier with great skill and suo-
Westmtnster Reoieiw,

Sartorllis (C ). Mszicx>. Landscapes
and Popular Sketches. Edited by Dr.
Gaspev^ with Engravings by distin¬
guished Artists, from origmal Sketches.
By MoBirrz RuasKitAB. 4to. doth gilt.
ISs.

Sclilairllltweit. Results ot a Soi-
BKTino UissxoK TO Ikdia aud Utpsb
Asia. By Hbbuakk, Adolphus, and
Robert de Sohlagiktwezt. Under¬
taken between 1854 and 1868, by order I
of the Honourable East India Com-

pany. tn nine yoIb. 4to. with an Atlas
in folio {Dedicated^ by permtBsum^ to
Her HCai^y). Yol. I. and folio atlas,
Vol. II. and atlas, eadi £A 4s.

Seyd (Ernsst). Califo&kia. akd its
Rbsoubobs. a Work for the Merchant,

the Capitalist, and the'Emlgrant. Sro.
cloth, plates, to. ed.

Ware. Sketches op ‘European Capi>
TALS. By William Ware, Author of
**Zenobia; or, Letters from PAhnyra,”
“Aurelian,** &o. 8vo. Pp. 124, la. 1S51.

Memoirs, Politics, History, eto.

A ssenaiblcd i Chapman. Remarks on the Legal

^ REQUIRED BY IRRIGATION' IN IN-

BEigesty the Kin^of Denmark. dia By John Chapman. 8vo. Pd. 20.

8vo Pp. 32, Is. 1861. Is. 1804. ^

Admlnlatratton (the) of the

Confederate States. Correspon- ~r- Indian PouTiaAL Reform.

dence between Hon. J. A. Campbell Bnof Hints, together with a

and Hon. W. H. Seward, oil of which the Improvement of the Con-

was laid before the Provisionai Con* stltuency of the East India Company,
gross, on Saturday, by President the Promotion of Publio woiks.

Davis. 8vo. Pp. 8, se^ Is. 1861. By John Chapman. Pp. 36, doth, is.

Americans (the) Defended. By

an American. Boing a Letter to one - Baroda and Bombay: their

of his Countrymen in Europe, in an- Pohtiool Morality. A Man'Atovo drawn
swer to inquiries concerning the late from the Papers laid before Pailiament
imputations of dishonour upon the in relation to the Removal of Lieut-Col.
United States 8 yo. Pp. 88, sewed, Is. Outram, C.B, from the Office of Red-
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Austria, and^ her Position With Epplanatory Notes, and Remarks

With remd to Hnnsary and on the Letter of L. R Reid, Esq., to

£urope. An Address to the Engh^ the Editor of the MUy News. By

Prose. By a HuNOABiAjr. 8vo. Pp. j. Chapman. 8vo. Pp.iy. and 174.

82, sewed. Is. 1861. . sewed, 3 b. 1868.

Bell. The English in India. Letters m_«_____

from Nagpore, written in 1867-8. By --7 ‘ The Cotton and Commem

-pJ: India, considered m relation to the

Intereste of Great Britdn. with Be-
03, ciotn. 48. I 860 . Railway UoramunioAtlon in

Bemamfn. Speecih of Hon. J. P. Bombay Profodenoy. By John Chap-

Benjamin, of Louisiana, on the Right sulk. Founder of the Gieat India Pe-

o£ SoctfBsion, dehvered In the Senate of ninsula Railway Company. 8vo. Pp*

the United States, Deo. Slst, 1860. xvh. and 412, cloth. Is. 1861.

Royal 8vo. Pp. 16, sewed, Is.

BICk«en.lKTBI.T^OKO»THB0.Bl.

nv^LOE&NON^S?DNBY^o^BLL^*^S^ dressed by M. Barth db Szembrb, late

rL 6d' Minister of the Interior in Hungary, to

8vo. Pp. XX. and 844, cloth, 10s. 6d. Cobden. Bsq., M P. for l4ch- |

BUna. A»o™o» THE STATE or **»«•. Pp-

Things in Sohlbswio-Holbtbin. By xii.anasa3. os.

Karl Blind. 8vo. Pp. 16 , sewed. 1862. uiayton and Bnlwer Conven¬
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Bnnsen. Memoir on the Constitu- tween the British and Auerioan
TioNAL Rights of the Duchies of Governments, ooNnERNiNG Central
Schleswig and Holstein, presented to America. 8yo. Pp. 6A Is. 1866.

Bunsen. Memoir on the Constitu- tween the British and Auerioan
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B^BN*^onttwlttio?Apn Colecclon de Doonmcntos'inedi-

a Postscript of the lethor Apru. ruo-
llHhed with M de Gruner^s Essa^ on
the Danish Question, and all the official
Document^ by Otto Von Wenkstom.
Illustrated by a Map of the Two
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28. 6d.

Historia de las Floridas. Los ha dado
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con letrato del Bey D. Fernando V.
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8 Catalogue of Important Worh,

Consititutlou of tine ratted 1 Traduit par H. Dkiavkau. Trois
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la 1 Herzen. Du Developpembst desiddes
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a Tiaiiblation from the Damsh, of the j —-- La Pbanoh ou l’Akqiji-

Reply Riven by Dorr Raat'luff to the | tbrre’ Variations llusses surle theme
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3 vols. Pp. xvu. and 465, paper in
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Serf (the) and the Cossack; or,

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** This is a booh, therefbre, of inunedlatc in¬
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** The special chapters on local sdbF^vem-
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S ’ on earnest, loving spirit. The author sees
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* . Contents*

L relation thereof to

n. Of Tru^ and the Intellect.

• w Cf Justice and the Oonscionoe.

IV Of Love and the Aflcotions

9.? 9,o"«c»o»’ Religion and tlie Soul.

VL <)f Coiwcious rcLgion as a Source of
Ktiength.

VII. Of-OnisciouB Religion os a Source of Joy.

VIII. Of^o OnltiiTO pf^io Religious Fovrera.

IX. Oi Convoutionol and N atui ol Soenunent^

X. OfConiiinimoiiwith God
We feel that in boirowmg lareoly from his
(Parker'b) pag<*s to enrich our columns, we are
earning mo reader's giatitude.*'—Xeoder.

-— Thkibm, Atheism, and the

PopuiAU Theology. Sermons by Theo-
IBIUK PAitKEH, author of ” A Discourse
of Matters iiertaming to Religion,” etc.
A portrait of the author ongraved on
sti‘ol ia piotixed. PtioeSs.

The aim of this work is defined by its
author at the beginning of the ]^t
Discourse as follows:—I propose to
speak of Atheism, of the Ptmulor Theo¬
logy, and of pure Theism. Ofoachfirst, I
as ft Theory of the Universe, and then
as ft Lh inoiplo of Piootical Life; brat os |
Hpuculativo Philosophy, then os Prac¬
tical Ethics.”

To real thinkers and to the mfnisten of the
ChrlMtlan gosiicl, we emplmtieally say—Rcod
them. (Paiker^s books) and reflect on them .. .
there ore glonous Imrsts of eloquence, flaidungs
of true gimfiih."—yowcVinfomiJrt.

*• (!(uiii>aa*d with tliu seimoiiBwhidiissue from
the iniumity o1 iiuli)iti,tlui» volume is atioaburo
of wlmloiii and beauty

“ Tlie method «t‘ thebe dibcouTHCs is practical,
ttiliirviMing theii oiguniout to common sense.
Atheinm and the iKintilar tlioology are eidubxtod
In their rejnilhive relations to cuiumun life,while
Irom the matter coneciitlon of divine things, of
which tlio writer ib the chief atiustle* thexe is
shown to arise, in natural d«voloinnont,tlio tran¬
quil security of religious trust, guidont'e, and
comAn i In A1 social duty, and the clear hope oi
tlic world to omno.”— IVestmiwiter JSevutP.

Parker. Bread Cast upon a?HB Wa-
TEBs. By Sowers of Thought for
THE Future With four Sermons by
Theodore Parker. 12mo. Pp. io£
sowed. Is. I860. ^

■ ■ ■ ■ Theodore Parker’s Hx-

pbeienob as a Minister, with some
account of his Early Life and Educa¬
tion for the Ministry. Third thousand,
12mo. Pp 80, sewed. Is. 1860.

The Public Function of
Woman, a Sermon preached at the
Music Hall, March 27, 1858. By
Theodore Parker. Post Svo., sewed.
Is. 1855.

Prlaulx, Questionbs Mobaioji, or
the First Part of the Book of Genesis,
compared with the remains of Ancient
Beligpons. By Osmond De Beauvoir
Priaulk. Second edition, corrected
and enlarged. Svo. Pp. vii. and 548.
cloth. 1854. 12s.

Ripley (Henry J., Professor of Sacred
Rhetoric and Pastoral Duties in Newton
Theological Institute) Sacred Rheto¬
ric; or, Composition and Delivexy of
Sermons. To which ore added, BSnts
ON Ektemporanboub Preaching. By
Henry Ware, Jun„ D.D. Pp. 284. i
12mo., doth, 2s. fid. I

Simonides (Oonstaktine, Ph. D.)
Fao-similes of Certain Portione of
THE COSPBL OF St. MaTTHBW, AND OF
THE Epistles of St. Jambs and St.
Jude, Written on Papyrus m the Fiist
Century, and preserve in the S^yptian
Museum of Joseph Mayer, Esq,, Uver-
^1; with a Portrait uf St. Matthew,
from a fresco Pamtmg at Mount Athos.
Edited and lUustiated, with Notes and
Histonoal and latenu^ Prolegomena,
containing confirmatory Faoeimiles of
the same portions of Holy Scripture,
from Papyn and Parchment MSS. in
the Monasteries of Moxmt Athos, of St.

I Catherine on Mount Sinai, of St. Sabba,
in Palestine, and other sources. Foho.
jfi’llls.Gd.

I Tayler. A Retrobpecf of the Beli- i
I Gious Life OF England; or, the Church,
Puritanism, and Free Inquiry. By
J. J. Tayler, BA.. New Revised Edi¬
tion. Large post Svo. 7s. 6d.

'* This wox ii written In a chastely beautiful
style, manilbsts extensive reading and cordUl
raseardij is full of thoi^ht, and demdedlj ori¬
ginal in its choiacter It u marked also by the
modesty whiohusuallyeharaoterises true merit.**
— er.

“Mr. Tayl ria actuated by no seetarian bias,
and we heartily thank him mr this addition to
our religious hteratuie.*'—IFebtihOis/er Bcpum
“ It IS not often our good Ibrtune to meet with
a book so wolloonoeived, so well written and so
instructive os this The various phases of the
national mind, deusrlbed with the oleamess and
fbroe of Mr. Tsyler.fiunuah inexhaustible mate-

Caicdogue of Important Works. ,

nal for reflection. >&. Tnyler regardfl all parties
in turn ftom au cquital)!* point of view» u> tole¬
rant towordii intolerance, and admiies zeal and
excubcs lojaatioibm wlicroeer he aeea hunctty.
yny, he openly aanertb that the leligion of mere
t&isun 18 not the religion to piodiico a practical
eftcct on a people; and tnerelbre rt^arda his
OM u olaM only as one clement in a beturpnuci-
jtle chin ch The clear and coinprchonwvo giasp
with ahiuhhe marbholB his facts, is even less
admi rable than the inniartialitT, nay, more tiuui
that, the geneiol kindlinohs nith which he re¬
flects upon them ”—Jixaminet\

Tliom. St. Paul's Epistlz» to tue
CoBiNTHiAiTs; Au Attempt to convey
their Spirit and Sigoiflcaaoe. By the
Rev. JoEnr Hamilton Thom. Post8vo,
oloth. 7s.

** A volume of singularly hee, suggestive, and
beautiful commentarv."—A« ki» er.

Xweiity-flyo Years’ Conflict In
the Church, and Its Kcmedy,

12nio. Pp. vm. and 70, sowed. 1866.
ls.6d.

Plulosophy.

An Exposition of Spiritnallsm:

comprising two Senes of Inters, mid
a Review of tho "Spiritual Hoffazme,"
No. SO. As publishiM in the " Staroud
Dud" Witti Introduction, Notes, mid
Appendix. BySOEPTia 8vo. Pp.SSO,
cloth, Cs

Atkln&on and martlnean. Let-

TBBH ON THE IlIWS OV M.\N’U NaTUSE
AND BnYELOPMUNT. Bv HeNRY QEORQE
Atkinson, F.Q.S , and H.ibbiet M.vb-
TiNEAU. Post 8vo. pp. aal. and oOO,
cloth 1851. 68.

" Of the man]’ remarkable Acts related in this
book we can say little now. Whot rather
strikes us is tho elevating influence of an ac¬
knowledgment aftnvhterifm any ibrm at alL In

S ite of all that we have said, there u a tone m
r. Atkinson’s thoughts for above those of most
of us who live in slavery to doily expeuenco
The world is awflil to him—tmth is sacred.
However wildlv he has wandered in search of
it, truthis all ibr which he cores tobve. If he
IS dc^atlc, he is not vain eti he is diving up
the iountain of lift, yet to Mm lift is holy* lie
does not care fat ftmo, ibr wealth, ibr rank, ibr
reputation, ibr anything except to find truth
and to live beantifUUy By it, and all this be¬
cause he ftels the unknown and terrible ibrees
which ate busy at tho warp and wcKif of the
mamllous existenoe.'^Ffosrr's J/CTgactnc
** A book, from the reasomiigs and conduslons
of wMoh, we sre bound to express our entbe
dissent, but to which it is impossible to deny the
rare merit of strictest honesty of purpose, as an
investigation into a snlflect of the mgliest im¬
portance, upon which the wisest of us is almost
entirely ignorant, begun with a sincere dedre to
penetrate the myst^ and ascertain the truth,
pursued with a brave resolve to shrink ftom no
resuUh to which that tnqoiiy raisht load, and to
state them, whatever reception they might have
from the world."—Crthc.

“A cunous and valuable contribution to

S ‘ igical science, and we rajard it with
as contaimng the best ana iullest dovo-

Idl ^ndth^ffliSf*
book Is lepl^ with proiband Sections thrown
out incidentally, IS distinguished bva peculiar
eletmnee of stylonnd, in the hands of a calm and
pliilusophical tlieologian mi^ serve as a useful
VIH is of the most fbimidable difiicalties ho has
to contend against In the present day."— WULly
S6U f.

“ The Irtteis are remarkableftr the analytical
poweis which characterise them, 'and will be
eogeily read by all those who appreciate the
vaiuo of the asaortiom that * the proper study of i
mankind Is man' The ranc^ of readmg wliioh j
they embody is no less extensive than ue sm-
oeiity as well as di^tn of thought and oaiuestr <

ness in the search alter truth, which oie their
pnncipal ftaturos. Without afivctation or
pedantry, ftults arrived at by so easy a tiaiisi-
tion, tliey ate matked l>v biinplicitv of diction,
by an ease and grace of loncuage and cxpi esMon
, that give to a subject, fln the mobt part mti luato
and perplexing, on inexprebsiblo chnim”—
Wcelclii J)iBpnich..

AwaM 1 Hind; or, a Voice from the
Ganges. Being a Solution of the true
Source of Chnstianity. By au Indian
Officer. Post 8vo. Pp. xix. and 222,
Moth, 6s. 1861.

Baconi* Franciscl, Vebulamirn-
siB Sebmuvbs Fidelbs, sive intenora
rerum, ad Latmam orationom emoudo-
tiorem levocavit philologus Latmus
12mo. pp. XXVI and 272 1861. 8b
Channiiijg. Self-Cuiaube. Wil¬
liam B. Channinq. Post Svo. Pp. 66.
cloth, Is. 1844.

Comte. The CATEonnoc of Positive
Religion. Translated from the French
of Auguste Comte. By Richard
Congreve. 12mo. Pp. vi. and 428,
cloth, 6s. 6d. 1858.

-— The PosmvB Philosophy

OF Aqgubte Comte. 'Translated and
Condensed by Harriet Martinbad.
2 vols. Large post 8to, oloth 16s.

••A work of protbund science, marked with
ffotiA acuteness of reasoning, and conspicuous tor
Me hft^iest attributes of intellectual power."—
JSdviburgh Bevieio.

**The ^Coura de PMlosophio Foeitlve* Is at

rouslv the characteristics of the several orders of
phenomena with which the jiarticular sciences
are concerned* arranges them in an ascending
scale of complexity and specially, bcMnnmg
with mathematics and ending with social phy¬
sics or sociology, and ossigiui to each science its
moptt metliodm accordance with tlie nature of
the phenomena to be investigated ... Benauso
it 18 not merely a oyclonaidia ofsoientifle foots,
but an exhibition of the methods of human
iHiowloage and of tlio lelotions between its dif-
fbnmt branches, h£. Comte colls his work philo¬
sophy ; and because it limits itself to what can
^proved, he terms it positive philosophy.”—
Spectator. * ^

maiffium of our ceutury .. Miss Aloitmeau
luis cnnflned herself rigorously to the tosk of

Comte promnlgated them . . In the whole, brethren ? or if we say to the enlightened, the
rfliijieotphiluMphy welcnowofnosudisuocess -1 thoughtittl, the Heiiung, Thu—if you be true
fill abridgment Zem/er. ; schulare—Is jiowr Vocation * We know not a

fill abridgment Zem/er. scholars—Is uowr Vocation * We know not a

Medico-C^aryxcal Rcvi6w,

*‘MIms hlartineou's book, os we expected it

vitsbte , to Chaiuotemstos o» the
aocuma., HMumm . Peebeot Aob. By JoBAim Gottlieb

COUHill (Victor). Hlbhbnts op Pst-
ciioLooY: iixduded m a Critical Exami-
uation of Loeko’s Essay on the Human
Understanding, and iii additional pieces.

PioiiTE. Translated from the German
by William Smith. Post Svo. Pp. xi. i
and 2T1, doth, 6s. 1847.

** A noble and most notable acquisition to the

Traiislatod from the Fionch, with an literature of EngLoud.'* — i>ow7as Jeitolas
IiitrocluoUon and Notes, by Caleb S. ^ ^ ^ ^

Hknuv U D Fourth imnrnvod edition accept these lectures as a true and most

roW^ioriing toyAulwBlaai

ooiTOCtions. Crown 8vo. Pp. 508.1861. our huaitiost recommendation, but it u because
cloth, 7s. they teach us how wo may rue above the age,

^ that wc bestow on tliem our most emphatic

' The Philosophy op Kant* praise.

Ucturos by Yjotor Cousin Translated ‘‘He makes us think, and perhaps more sub-
Aonch Towhichisaddrf.a

Biographical and Critical Sketch of act. ,

Kivut’s Life and Wntmgs. By A. O. “ As a majestic and most stirring uttoraaoe
llEHUKiiboN. La^po^8vo,oloth.9s

l»Uni*ailKOnB The PnovinENcae op many on Bnalhh soul, and potently help to re-
fiOJ) MANIM'ETED IN NATURAL Law. generate English BocIety.'^2%e Cntw.

By ifoiiM boNOAireoN, M.D. Post 8 vd.
l*p. V. and 854, cloth. 1801. 7s.
ElHCrKOU. liissAYB BY IIalph Waldo
Kmkrhi IN’. First SonM, ombodymg the
Corrections and Editions of the lost
Amoriuaii edition; 'with an Tntroduc-

- The Vooatios op a Soholab.
By Johann Gottlieb Piohth. Trans¬
lated from the German by Williai*^
Smith. Post 8vo. Pp. 78, sewed, Is. 6d.,
doth, 28. 1847.

“ ‘The Vocation oi a Scholar .... is

tory Preface by Thomas Carlyle, re- ”‘The Vocation a Scholar .... is
iiriutod, by normiOBfou, from the first distinguished by the sa^ h^hmond tona and

WuHh'JtC. Port^smja. ^

■ ' " . . hAWAYH BY Ralph Waldo loat m Mr Smith’s dear, unernWrassed, and

Embrhi >n. Second Serios, with PreCaoo thoroiuhlv English trauslation.”—I^oigrios Jer-
by TiuaUH Oaiulvle. Poat 8 to. bIoUl

of one of the best of Fichte’s works piasented to
Feucrliach* The Essence op Chris- thepubbomaveryn^eatlbrm. • • •

TiAWTTv Bv Unnwio Pbueabaoh. needs on earnest and ^sliujere spirit more tlian

I^NITY, ^y uUo wio JTiU ^^O H. 1,40^3™. giagg and therefore the‘Vocation of

Traiislatod fiDm the Second German Scholar,’tlie ‘Gmde of the numaa
Edition, by Marian Evans^ Translator written in ^chte’s most earnest, most com-
of Strauss’s “ijUTe of Jesus.*’ Large mandmg temper, vrill be. weleomed m its
M » English dress by p^lic writers, and be bene-

postSvo. 10s. 6d. flSS^itheoaaMoTtruth.’^JBcw^^

Fichte. The Popular Works OP J. G. _ „ «

FioiiTB. Twovols. Port 8 VO., doth, £1. -- . . The Vooationop Man. By

-OHTrniHATBHEOETHESCnOLAE.

ATW> ITB A^nieehtati^ib. By Post Sto. Bp. Xll. 198, idoth, 4fl.

Gotthhb PiOHTE. Translated fiwmtho lo,

(Jormiui by William Smith. Second

‘'fHi*'’*;

cloth, 8s. 1848 . before, in me the emotions of the heart

!SSf Xthe SllJvodto be the truth, as a ‘“Tim Vowtion

thiirewghly honest and heroic man. . . The «W"* I?fvX

umioanitu4 of any of Ills works in our language alile to understand a book at all, and os the

fi wSfflmve aKHi T» hutory of the mmd in its v^ua phaaei ^

(tnitlons arc odniiralily littedfbrtheii purpose, doubt, knowledge, and foith, it u of mtw^ to

iRy It tSwIiS. . TshaFwe Jie prwiimptuous ^ped your mdolent acquiescence.’^ibreiptt
if we rcoonuneud tlioso views to our profossional Quarterin'

Catalogs of Important Worhs,

I “ ThiB IS Fichtc'H moht pontilar work, and is
< oven'wav Kuiaikable.’’—Jf7«fc

It appears to us the boldest and most em¬
phatic attempt that hoa vet been made to ex-
plam to manhis restless and nuconquemble de-
buo to win the True and the Eternal.''—jSTentouZ.
iiclite. The Wav towards a Blessed
IjIFB ; or, the Doctrine of Religion By
Johann Gottlieb Fichte Translated
by WILUAM fcJMITH. Post 8VO. Pp. \iu.
and 221, cloth, 2s. 1Sd{).

-itiiMoiR OP Johans Gottubb

Fichte. Hy William Smith. Second
Edition. Post Svo. Pp 168, cloth, 48.
2B4S.

“.A Lifb of Fichte, full of nobleness

and instruction, of mand purpobc, tender iccl-

iivr, and bra\c etbirt'.the compilation

of which IS executed with gieat judgment and
hdelitv PmsMcctiw Jlenew.

“Tie state Fiohtc'b olmrocter as it is known
and admitted by men of all parties among the
I GcrmaiiA^^hcn we bjy that to robust on mtel-
lect,asoul bO calm, boloft>,massnc, and immo¬
veable, has not mingled m philosophical dis-
cubsiun sihce the time of Luther .... Fiehte's
opinions may be true or fidse, but his (diameter
os a thmkei can be sUghtly valued only by such
as know it ill, and us a man,appioTed by action
and sulieiing, m hib hto and in his death, he
rankb with a ola<i4 of men who wcic common
only in iHjttei oaes thonuurb "—StatedGei man.
Literatm e, by Thaman Cut lyle.

FOXton* Popular CnstaTiANiTT; its
Transition State, and Probable De-
Tolopinent. By Frederkjk J. Foxton,
A.B., foiraerly of Pembroke College,
Oxford, and Petpotual Curate of Stoke
Prior and Docklow, Heiefordshure. Post
8vo Pp IX and 226, cloth. 1849. 5a.

‘‘ Few wnters are bolder, but his manner is
singularly consideTate tow ardsthe veiy opuuons
that he combats—his language singularly calm
and measmed. He m evidently a man who has
his purpose auiceiely at heart, ond indulges in
no wntmg for eflect But wliat most oistiu-
guishes him from many with whom he may be
compared is, the positivcuess of hib doctiinc. A
prototype fbr bib volume may be fbund in that
of the American, Theodore Parker—the‘•Dis¬
course of Religion.” There is a crest coinci¬
dence in the tram of ideas. Parker ib more co¬
pious and eloiiuent, but Foxton is for moio
explicit, dcdnlte, and comprehensible in 1^

I meaning.’*—*i)«c/ator.

^‘‘He&aaapenetratian into the spiritual de¬
sires and wonts of the age poastble only to one
who partakes of them, and he has uttered the
most prophetic fiurt of our religious condition,
with a force of eonviction, which itself rives
confidence, that the fact is as he sees it. His
Imok appeaiB to us to ctmtom many just and
profound views of the religious character of the
piesent age, and itsmdioations of piogiess. He

power and fblnesa wat leave nothing to be de¬
sired •'--Fwipeciire 1849.

“ It contains many ptusagea that show a warm
appreciation of the moral beauty of Christianity,
written with connderable power.’^ruffwirer.

. . with earnestness and eloquence."—

“ We refer our leaders to the work
Itself, which is most ably written, and evinces a
spint at (mce earncbt, enlightened, and libeial,
in a small compass he presents a most lucid ex-
p.)ntion of views, many of them original, and
bupported by argnments which oanuot fell to
create a deep sensation iu the rehgioiis world.’*—
Obsetvtr,

Hall. The Law of Impersonation as
APPLIED TO Abstract Ideas and Reli¬
gious Dogmas. By S. W. Hall. Se¬
cond Edition, eulaiged. Crown Svo.
Pp. 120. Bound m (doth, 4s fid.

HlCkOk. A System of IIoral Soisncb.
By La WRENS P. Hiokoe, D.D., Author
of “ Rational Psychology.” Royal Svo.
Pp. viii. and 482, cloth. 1353. 12s.

JLanprford. Religion and Education

IN RELATION TO THE PEOPLE. By JOHN

Alfred Langford. 12mo. Pp. iv, 188,
cloth, 1862. 2s.

- - ■■ Religious Scbpttoism and

Infidelity; thou History, Cause, Cure,
and Mission. By John Alfred Lang¬
ford. Post Svo. Pp. iv. and 246,
cloth. 1800. 2s. fid.

HaccaU (William). National Mis¬
sions. A Senes of Lectures Svo. Pp
Tin and8S2 10s Od.

-— SaobamuntalSbrticieb Pp,

20, 12mo, sewed, fid.

- The Agents of Civiliza¬
tion. A Sones of Lootuios. Pp. 120,
l*2mo., olotli, Is. fid.

-The Doctrine of Individu¬
ality. A DiS(T)urso dehveiod at Cie-
diton, on the 28th of May, 1843. Pp.
2^ 12mo, sewed, Od,

-The Education of Taste.

A Scries of Lectures. Pp. 104,12mo.,
sowed. Is.

-The Elements of Indivi¬
dualism A Series of Lectures. Pp.
368, Svo, doth, 7s. Cd.

[

-The Individuality of

THE Individual. A Lecture delivered
at Exeter on the 29th March, 1844,
before the Literary Society. jPp.
40, 12mo., sewed, Gd.

-The Lessons of the Pestt-

LSNOu. A Disoouise dehvered at Reys-
ton, on the 23id September, 1849. Pp.
22,12mo.,sewed, fid.

-The Unchristian Nature

OF COMHEROIAL ReSTRICTIONH. A DiS-
course ddxvered at Bolton, on Sunday,
the 27th September, 1840. Pp 14,
12mo., sewed, 3d

Ifaiskay. Intelleotual Religion : be¬
ing the Introductory Chapter to ** The
Progress of the lutelleot, os Exem¬
plified m the Religious Development
of the Greeks and Hebrews.” By R. W,
Maokay, M a. 8vo. paper cover, Is. 6d.

mediation, from its eailiest mythical ombodi-
iiimts, are t^mirable, bothfirom their pauoraniio
bi cadlh and their richneasm illiutrativo details.
Wo can onW recommended the reader to resort
jiimbelf to this treasury of mmalcd t^ucht aM
loaimng.’’—JFcfltrowuiWj Heview Jan,l^ 1851.

' ThB "Rirh and PBOONNaS OF

CnniHTiANiTY. By R W. Maokay.M.A
Author of The Progress of the lu-
ielltici ns ozempliftod in the Religious
Devolopmont of the Greeks and He¬
brews.* Large post 8vo., cloth.
lOs. Gd.

Contents*

Port I. Idea of Eoily Chnstiaailty.

„ II Tho Pauline Controveisy and its
_ Isbues

„ rn Ide.iofCathohcity.

„ IV Orijnu of tho Church, and its Conflict
'With llcathcnibm

7» V OiictmandPioinehsofRogmo.

„ V r. Rise of tho Pnjiaoy.

„ Vrr. Theology of the Ohttroli.

„ VIII. Rctdmo of tho Papacy.

“ A work of thih nature was much wanted and
wiUho highly useflil. Mr. Maekoy hasexeeoied
lus task -with great bkill, ho Is profbundly
acquainted with the whole Qennan literature of
lUs miblwt, and he has buceensflilly flised into
one continuous and consistent yiew the latest
results obtained and chief topics treated by the
freest and ablest of ilio cntlcs of Geimtuay."—
tVtHtnumtfr Itewio,

» Our readers may rest ossni cd that this book
Is on every account worthy of special and atten¬
tive pciusal ... Mr Mookay writes moderately
os well as fbarlessly. with tho spint of a philoso¬
pher and tho oanuour of an honest man.'*—
Xeailor.

nann (Horaob). a Few Tnocronrs for
A VoUNd Man A Lecture delivered
before tho Boston Mercantile Library
Association, on its 20th Anniversary.
Hcoond Jjldition. 12mo Pp. 56. Od.
Pfewmaa. Oatjexolio Union; Essays
towards a Church of the fhture, os the
oi^nisatlon of Philonthiopy. By F.
W. Newman. Post Sro., cloth, 8$. Od.

'• ' Phases of Faith; or Pas¬
sages from Uie llistory of My Crood.
By Francis WiLErAM Newman, Sowed, |
2 h., iHiHt 8 yo., cloth, 3s. Gd.

Besides a stylo of lemurkOble fhsdnatlon.
Ft uni its iierfoot simplicity and the abbonco of all
thought of writing, the litoraiy character of
this biiok arisiM horn its display of the writer’s
mind, and the naxrativo of lua stiugglos.....
In oilditlon to tlie religions and metaphysical
Intcrebl, It contains some more tangible biogra*
phical matter, in inoideutol pictures of tho

s^mg tiie truth, and conquermg fbr itself; bit
by bit, the na^t to ppnounce dogmatically on
that which It had heretofore accept^ tradi-

umism nas leaym to be deepiY gratohil to Mr.
Newman hib learning, his pie&, hw courage,
his candour, and his thorough mastery of Eis
siilgect, render his alliance doubly piemoos to
the oauhe.”—27i« Leafier.

. Newman u a marter of stylctand his
pooK, written in plain and nervous Rnglujih ,
treats of too impoitont a subiect to fail ra com¬
manding the attration of all thmking men, and
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ALWIABJlTll'AL lADMS:.

Russian Synae,

?«nt8 ISuniL

Samaritan. Telugu.

Swwcnt. Tibefim.

Soman. Turkish.

i<»i]^°COT'^endi8h)^ WeJS(S? SorMim).

Swedish. Zend.

AC;;}ian (or Puulito).

Aiuharic.

Aii{do^a\oii.

Amhie.

Aruhie Ligatures.
Aiainaic.

An'haie Characters.
Ariiieiuati.

As'^yriiin Cinu*lionn«
Ih'iiguli.

lioht'itiittii (Cxochiou).
HdgfH.

Jhirmew*.

CuimruHO (or CarnO- Tush.

Greek (Axohaic).
Giijerau (or Gaze-
lattee).

Ilieratie.

Uicroglyphici.

Holirow.

Ilehrew (Arehoio).
Ilehrcw (Ralibliucal)
IJehrew Cirml<BO-G<^
man)

nehiowCciiTrcnthand).

riuiiLgariau.

Ellyilaii.

taea).

Chine,K'.

<'optic.

(!niido-Glag<ihtio.

Cufic,

Italian (Old).

Japancbe*

Juviincho.

Lettihli.

Maathliu.

Cyrdilc (or ()ld,Sla- Mefliaxi Ctinellbrm.

Willie). ^ .

Giu‘ehiaii (or Bohe-

IlllUll). •

nuui ih*

III mot Id.
l•;^.trtt^l'^<•lo.

IvthiopK*.

Dlriihcuii.

Gcorfduit.

(h*r(iiaii*

GlogoliUc.

Gothic.

GriTk... ^

Greek Ligatures.

Modem Greek (or
iioniafc).
Mongolian.
Ntmildlaii.

Old Slavonic (or
Cyiilhe).
Pfl]niyri‘ni(ui.
Peniitut.

IVrbittu Cuiiollorm.
Pliomieiaii.

3»olish

PuhUto (or Afghan).
Romaic (or Modem
Greek).

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VoL IL Parta. Papuan Languages of the

alty Islands and Ntw Ho-
hndos, cumpiismg those of the
Ihlands or Nongoms lifli,
Aneiteum, Tana, and othesn,
^ 8vD._i)n. 12. 6d.

Vol. IL Fort 3. Piii iSrands and Rotnma (with
Supplement to Parts, Papuan
Iiauguim«!S, and Port 1, Aus¬
tralia), Svo. up. 84. Is.

Vol. XI. Part 4. New Zoulondl the Chatham !»-
lands, and Auckland Llands,
8vo. pp. 76. 38 6d.

Vol IL Part 4 (eonmiimfion). Polynesia and
Borneo, 8vo. pp. 77 to 131.
3s. 6d.

The above is, without exception, the most Im-

The amount of matenalg brought together^*
Sir Gcoige, with a view to olndoate the subject,
IS stupenrions; and tlie labour bestowed on them,
and the icsnlts arrived at. Incontestably estab¬
lish the claim of the anthoi to he caned the
father uf African and Polynenan Philology.

Opinions or xnu Paass
** 'Wo congratulate tho Governor of the Cane
on the produetion of a most important aid to the
study uf tho twin sciences of philology and eth¬
nology, and look forward to tho completion of
the catalogno itself as a great and permanent
stop towards the olvilization of the bariMuous
races whose fuimatlon, habits, language, icU-

S ion, and food, are all, inoio or less, most core-
lily noted xn its pages.*'—Leaeier.

“It Is for these substantial iea8ons,that we
deemed it woith a biief notice to call attention
to these cxcellcntlv-airanged cataluBiics (with
imiKirtant notes), desoiibing^tlio various works
in the library of Sir GcuzgoGrey, and by which
tlilH groat philanthropiBt will greatly aid m
olviluung the nnmerou^eoplca within the bniit
of the colony of the CSipo of Good Hope
Brighton Gazette,

S4

JatTiral listoiy, EtMology, etc.

Afirasslz (Louis) Air Essay ots Clsb-

amcATioir Svo, doth. 12s

Blvth and SpeKe. Riiipobt on a
Zoological Collection fhov thk So¬
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Twenty-fourth volume of the Journal
of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal ;
with Additions and Conoctions by the
Collector, Capt J H. Speke, F R G S ,
fto, 8VO. Pu 16. One Colouied Plate
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Soc Cfies. Nat. Cur, of Moscow, the Boc.
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OP Mine»4TiOGY ; compnaiug the most
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Chemical Analyses and Formulas, Ta¬
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. Supplements to ditto, 1 to 8.

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.. - M.VNUAL OP MINEJLUiOGT;

inoludi^ Observations on Mines,
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Nott and Gliddon. Types op Man¬
kind ; or Ethnological Roseaiohos based
upon the Ancient Monuments, Point¬
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and upm uieir, Natural, Geographical,
PhRoTogloal, and HbUoal History, by J.

C Nott, M D , Mobile, Alabama ; and
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RTott and Gliddon. The same, in
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contributed by Alfred Maury, Francis
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Sdater. Catalogue of a Collection
OP American Birds belonging to Philip
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&o The figures will be taken from
Typical Specimens in the Collection
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j 61 10. [i>» Preparation.

The Ihls. A Magazine op General
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LEY SOLATBR, M A Vol I 1869 8 V 0 ,

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-Vol. Ill, 1801 £I Cs

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Hediome, etc.

Althans (J., M D). A Treatise on
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’ ■ " The Spas of Europe. By
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’ [Tn. the Prese.

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Hecker (j. F. C, M.D.) The Epidehxcb
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a D. Babikgton, M D., P.E.S Third
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Treatise on Child-Pilobihages. 8vo, I
cloth, pp 884, price Os.

Contents The Black Death—The
Dauemg Mama—The Sweating Sickness
—ChildPilgrlmoges.

of print, this new etlitiun — tbe thlnl — has been
uzuiortaken by the present proprlotoiii of hie copy-
rn^it, wtU the ^ew not only ol meeting the nu¬
merous tlemaudn Intm tlie oluss to '\>hh‘h ituvos
piuniuily addrcsicd hj Its learned author, bat also
tor extending its ou culatiou to the eenoral reader,
to whom it haiL hcretotoro, been all but inaccess¬
ible, owing to the peculiar uiode of Its publican-
tion, and to whom it is iMdieved it wvl he very
acceptable, on account oi the great and growing
interest of its subicot-matter, and the elegiuitand
suoceHSfhl tieatment iliercof. The volume is a
verbatim icprint flpom tlie second edition, hut Its
value has been enhanced by the addition of a
paper on “ Chlld-Pilgiiniagea, never betoro
translated, and the present edition is therefbre
the Aat end only one m the English langu^
whiih contains all the contributions ot Dr.
Heckor to the history of medicine.

Parrish CEdw.&ed). An iNTBODtrorioN
TO Pbaotioal Phaduacy ; designed os
a Text-Book for the Student and os a
Guide for the Physician ana Pharma-
coutist With many Formulas and Pre¬
scriptions. Second edition, greatly En¬
larged and Improved. With Two Unn-
dr^ aud Forty-six UlustrationB. Svo.
pp xxi and 7^. 1861. ISs. |

i8«o.pp.6o,

to lib members only. The work havuig gone out clotii* is. ISiO.

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tlso. Compiled from the highest au-
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experience dunug a long period of pro¬
fessional practice. To which is added
Jnformatiou on limes and Cements.
By James Gazidneb Austin. 12mo.

[in the Press.

CalTCrt. On Impeovembnts and Pbo-
011BH.M in D\einh vnd Calico Pbimting
HINGE 1861. Illustrated with Numerous
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aud Kulorgod by tho Author. 12mo.,
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Paterson- Tebatisb on Miutaby
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RoyoJ Mihtary CoUogo, Sandhurst
4to., boards.

Bibliogiapiy.

AUlhonc (Austin S ) A Ceitioad Dic¬
tion aiiv OF Enolihh Literature, and
British and Amer can Authoba ft om
tho Earliest Accounts'to the Middle
i of tho Nmotoenth Century (Vol. I. is
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Caxton. The Q ihe of Ciies«i. A re¬
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Fieqiiently as ▼e''rcad of the works of Cax-
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This Tciirodiiction of tho first work printed by
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X iOMDItES. Par OOTAVE Delepierbe.
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_ T/ft the Press,

(The Edition vdll consist of 800 copies only).

IS;

]jUdCWiS(HERM.kNNE) THELITEIAV-
TUBE OF American Aboriginal Lan¬
guages. With Additions and Correc¬
tions by Professor Wm W. Turner.
Edited by Nicolas Trubndr Svo, fly
and general Title, 2 leaves; Dr. Dude-
wig’s Piofaco, pp. v~Tiii; Editor’s
Preface, pp. Iv—zu; Biographical Me¬
moir of Dr. Ludewig, pp zih.xlv ; and
Introductory Bibhographicol Notices,
pp ziv—zxlv, followed by List of Con¬
tents. Then follow Dr. Ludewitf s Bib¬
liotheca Glottica, alphabeticauy ar¬
ranged, with Additions by tho Editor,
p. 1-—200 ; Professor Turner’s Addi-
Lous, with those of tho Editor to the
same, also alphabetically arranged, pp.
210—246; Indez, pp. 247—256, and list
of Errata, pp. 267,258. One vol. hand¬
somely bound in cloth, pnee 10s. 6d
This work Is intended to siqiply a great wont,
now that the study of Ethnoloib' has proved that
exotic lanfftuiees are not more cuxiosibes, bnt es¬
sential andinteresting parts of the natural lustoiy
of man, ibrming one of the mobt cunoas Uukb in
tho groat ctauin of national alhnities, deimiiig as
they do the recliirocity evisting lietweon man and
ilio soil ho lives upon. No one can veuturc to
write fclie history of .kmerira-nithoutaknowledge
ofher.ihor!Aiual langaagob, and unimportant as
such researclies m'q- seom to men enaogod in the
mae bustUng occauations of Ufb, th^ wiU at
least .icknuwledge that these recoil cMT the post,
hfce tlie stem-Iights of a deiiartinir ship, are the
last gUmmera of savage lile, as It becomes ab¬
sorbed or recedes befbie the tide of civilization
l>r Ludowlff and ProLTumer have mode most di¬
ligent nse ot the pnhlio and pnvute collootions in
Amonca, access to all of which was most liberally

g anted to them. Thu has placed at theur disposal
e labours of tho American Mibsionanos, so lilUe
known on thu side of tho Atlantic that they may
be looked upon almost m the light of mitrodden
ground. But Eng^uh and Continental libraries
have also been iaus<icked, and Dr Lmlewig kept
up a cmuitant and ootivo com'spondenco with
scboloxB of ** the Fatherland,” as well as with men
of sunilur tastes ondpurMutii m Fiance, Spam, and
Holland, determined to leave no stone tmtumod to
render Ub labours as complete as iiosstble. Tho
volume, perfect in itself, is the first of an enlar;^
edition of Vater’s “ Ziimarim totiua orbu In¬
dex " The work has been noticed by tho press of
both Continents, and we ma> be permitted to refer
porhoularly to the fbllowmg

Opinions of the Press.

** This work, mainly the production of tho late
Hetr Ludewig, a Gotinan, naturalized in Ainenoa,
u devoted to on account of the hterature of the
aboriginal longno^ of that country It gives on
alpliobetioal lut of the voiious tribes of whose lan¬
guages any record remouis, and refers to the works,
juipers, or monutienpts, in wlilch such mformatiou
may bo fbuud The work has evulontly been a
labooT of love, and as no pnms seem to have been
spared by the editors, Prof. Turner and Mr. Ti lib-
ner, in rendunng tho work a& orourate and com¬
plete as pofisible, thoiie wbo are most Intereated m
its contents will bo best aide to judge of the labour
and asudmtv bestowed open it by author, editors,
and publisher."—..Ittenceujii, fith.Vpnl, 1858.

“ Tins u the first instalment of a work which
will bo of tbe greatest value to philologwts, and u
a compendium of the aboriginal langoogos of the
American oontmonts, and a digest of all the known
hterature boarmg mion those languages. Mr.
Trdbner’s band has been engagod passim, and in
his preikoe he lays claim to about one-stem of

Trvbmr ^ Oo^ 60, PcUernoster Row,

27

whol(‘, ami wo have uo doaht tliat the oneoiumdro-
iiifiU With winch this portion of tho work will ho

received In scholnn, will be such oa to inspire Mr.

Trlibncr with suflluient ooufidcnoe to iwrsevorc In
arduous and most honoomhlo task .**—2710
Cri/ic, Ibth Dec , 1857.

“ Few would Ixflicve tliat a {i;ood octavo volumo

jvoiilil he Tiecc-siiiy to c\luuist tho subiect, yot hO

it is, und this liamlsoine, nsoful, mwI cunouH
volutae, ci«( luUy conipilnl by Mr. Ludowig, as-
Kistcd liv ProfiNsor Turner, ami tslitisl by tho enro-
lul luuiil of Mr TrUbnvi, tho wi*ll-kuowii imh-
liHhci, will Im‘ sure to find a iihtoo lu many li
biimch ZtcwfW AdM fisci, 6 th Nov., 1867.

“ Tlic losiTi (rf Aiiioni an linguistics will iind m
(In* work u( Mr. Tililmcr warw'ly any point
oiiiittisl cuhnluhsl (o aid the ciimiMiriitivo phi-
loloftcr 111 (racing (he vaimus Iiiiigiuigc's of tho
great Wisicui Coutmeat .”—Qalway Mercaru^
3(»th Jun , IH 68 .

“ Onh (Inwo diH'ply vorsi d ni philoli^oalstndlcB
cull aiipiiH Hite this iKNik iit its lull vulue. It shows
tliat tlierc arc upwards nf seven hundnsl and lit tv
idMingiiml Aiiicncoii lungauKus.” — O'cntletna/rii
Foil. IHtW.

“ Tlic work ismtains an .iwnmt ofnof<>werthan
M'Vcii iiinidusi dditirciit .dan i{j;in.U dialects of Anu*-
ricii, wuhiinintriKluctory chapter nfbildiiigraiiliical
iii(V)i Hint ion ; and under each dlahs't is an uiasiunl
of niiv graiiimar > or other works Uluhtrativc of it."
--7%r jimk'ietltT, Jun. 1868.

** We hav(*lierot 1 io list of momnnentfl atill exist¬
ing, of an alniiwt iiiiuim<*rahle Hcncw of laugnageti
iiml diaiiTtH of the Auieiiean Oonthient. The
greiitei part of luduin grunuuorH and voenhularles
e\ist only In MS., und wem compiled chielly by
Ml*<slntiuri(>H of till* Clmstian Church, and to Dr.
iiudewu; and Mr. 'CTUlmer, we are, thewftirc, the
iiion* IiidebtiHl lor the gnsit eari* wltli wluch they
have ]HHiit<s| out wheie siteh are to Ixi Ibund, as
Wi n as fiir eimmenilmg Ihone which Iiavo boon
ptmhsl, idther in a M«|Hitute HhuiK*, in collisdiona,
or ill vuvnffia and (ravela, and claewhore.”—
£tuuhi‘, illuSept. J 8 M.

“ I have not time, nor in It my purpow*, to go
into a review of this adiiiiralilo work, or to
utteiiipt to Imlieute tin* extent and value of ita
(‘onti'uls. It IS, ]H*rliups, enoagii to aay, that a]uirt
flout a isnieuie hut eleui euumeratloii and uotieo of
tin* Various gen<*nil phllologieal works wlueh iri'at
With greater or less t iilin^iHof Aiiieiican laumiogeH,
or wliieli Ineideiitally touch uiKin their lutiliO-
grupliy. It (‘outiimH not h*ss than 256 oloscly-
printisl octavo iMigea of blbllograiihteul noitues Of
graimiiani, vocabularies, i*to., of the aboriginal
langung(*H orAiinTiea. it is a peculiar and valuable
feature of llte work that not only Itio Idle a of
Iirmtisl or pulilislied grainiiuiTH or vm abuliuicH are
Hveii, tint 111 *0 that uiipiibiishiHl or MS works of
then* kinds an* notieisl, m all eases when* thiw are
knoun |i>eMsl,bulWiiteh havedmi>]K*an‘damong
the c/i7y*/s of the Hupiin'‘wsl csniveiits and rt'ligioUh
estaliUsiinieniH ofSteimsh AnM*riea.*Wir.C7.iV7«h’r,
/« ttjmwr fvttii hffwe thtt Amertt'tm Jithnolo,^
UH'nlStudrty^ 12Lh Jim, 1858.

“ In naiHeifuenet* of thw ilealli of tho author bo-
fiin* he had tluliihtsi the revtaal of tho work, It
has iH'eii eareflillr etninlnwl by ^•omlK■t^*lll acho-
larn, wlio have iiiho nuide many valuahlo aihh-
tloiw." - Am«ric(M PuhUs/iei's* Cimtlar^ 30th
Jail., 1 R.W.

” It isintahw 266 tfloHelr-imiitcsl pag<*a of titles
ofpnnhsi lawks ami manuseiipts, and notiw'fl of
Americau nlairigmal liuiguitgc*n, aiid«*nil»raOi*«ro-
ftirene<*s to uisiny all fhathiiH hi*en written or jrab-
Ilaliisl n*s|av(Ing them, whether lu h|>e(*uil worka
or Inelilenially in Ixatka of travi‘1, pcTloiliealH, or
lasMssshiigs of lenrmst iio«M*lieH.*’—Aew juris
JlemhU 26t1t Jan., 1858.

“ The maiiuer In winch this eonirilmtlon to the
lubliogruphy of Aiuigieau luugungc*ft haa been ex¬

ecuted, 1 >oth by the author, Mr. Ludewig, and tho
able wntera who have edited the work idnco Iub
death, u gpoken of m the highest tarms by gon-
tlomcn most convwsant with tho aubioot** —
J^y^l8fi£ ifaflwaMie, VOl. IL, No. 6,

** Jo teinuneral an aonon^antloproniior volume

a’nne publication uppcl£o k rouchro do gianda 8c*r-

Vtees A la pbilologie compai€e ot h la hnguistinue
grthigrale Je veux parlor do la Bibliotheca Glot-
tlca, Ouvrago dcvnnt ronAinnor la listu do tong loa
dictionnaires ot do toutos Ica grummurcs dcs
lougucH ooimues, tout imprim^ quo mauasoiits.
iVdditeur^clo oette nTtkamso bilihograplue ost M.
Nicolas Tittbncr, clout lo noui est houorablement
(onnu dans le mondo onontal. Le pi omlor volume
e.t oonsHcid aux ubomos Am 6 ncainos , le Hooond
dmt traitor dos longues do I'Inde. Do travail est
put uveo Ic serfn le plus consooncloux, et fora
honiicu rk H Nicolas TrUbiior, burtout s’ll pour-
suit sou (uuvro uveo la niihuo ardour qu’il amiH* 6 .
It* poinnii*uoM-.’» - L. Leon de 2tot,ny. JRevue
de VOt lent^Fevriery 1858.

“ hfr. TrUbuoi'a most important work on the
bibliography oi the aliongmol languages oi Ame¬
rica Is de*K*ryiiig of all praiau, as otniuunlly useful
to thoho who study that branch ot Uteraturc*. The
Vulue, too, of the book, and of the iiains wliiehits
OOuipilal lOii must have cost, will not bo li*sbc>iio«l Iw
tha consideration lh.it it is first m this hold of Im-
ffuistio llt<‘raturo.”-7^efcma«w’s Oeoyt aphueho
Mittheilut^gen^j}, 79, Fob,, 1858.

** TTndoubtc'dly thui volume of TrtUmcria Bfl>-
llotheoa Qlotticaranka aznongnt tho most valuable
additions which of lalo yuars have enriched our
biiihograplueal btoraturc To us Goimans it u
moht (muffing, that tho imtiativu has been token
by a Gc*rman bookscllor himself one ot the moat
intelhgonl and aotivo of our oountTyineu abroad,
lo produoci a woik which has hwhor aims than
niero pecuniaxy profit, und that iio too, has la-
liourtsL at its production with bis own hoods,
bcoause daily it is beoomuig a oiromnstanoe of
rar(*r ooc'urrc'iico that, as in this case, it is a book-
HolleriH iHiinaxT obloet to servo the oanso of hto-
rature rather than to c>nnch hmuclf.’*-P. TromeL
LarmAlatt, 4th Jim, 1858.

**ln the oomiulation of the work tho oditoxs
have availed fhomM*lvcs not oh^ of the labours
of V’atc«r, Barton, Duponoean, Gallatm, Do Sooca,
and oihors, tmt also of the MS. soiiroos loft by the
missiomiiios and ofniouy books of winch oven tho
libruty of the British Museum is Uctioient, and ftir>
nish tho ftillest account of the litorotnre oi no less
than 620 langoages. The valuo of tho woik, so ne-
cossiuy to the study of ethnology, Is greatly en¬
hanced 6 y the addition ofagood Index.’^jfferh'Mer
ITntiotuxl^Zeil/tiigf 22 ml Nov., 18&7*

Tho namo of the author, to an those who are
noqunmtod with liis fbimer works and who know
the thoruughncHH .uid prolbund ohaiuctor oi his m-
vostigntions, in a suflioicnt gaamntoo that ttdb work
wiU i)o one of standard anthonty, and ono that will
ihUy answ«‘i tho dumamls of tho poresont ttmo.*^
JP^gholdFsAtmeigerfiasUf 1868.

•( Tho chief inotlt of tho oditoi and publisher Is
to huvo torminatfld the aork oardully and lucidly
in oontoulN and fbnn, and thus to have estahlishod
n now and laigoly uuginontod edibou of * Vatet's
Zmauarum tattus Index,* aitei PiolWaor
Jttlg'H lovmon of 1817* In onlor to continue and
eouiiilete thw work the editor requires tho aswst-
nnou of an tliobo who aio acquainted with this new
luuuch of iKdciiocs and wo sinoerely hqjio It maj ho
Bcconled to lum/-~‘3raq<tzwjur tfto Literatur dee
Aue!andea,No 38, 1868.

** Ah the gimerol iltlo of the book mdientes, it
wni Iki extended to tho lananagos of tho other
eontiurats, m ease it meet with a tavouralilo rooep-
t lun, wlUch we inont coidially wish it.** A.F, Pott,
FreitsetscM JuJu'buUur, Yol. 11 ., port 1 .

I

jj 28 Gatalogve of Jmporiarit Works.

* “ C«?tto oominlation siiVantf est sans eoi'trwlit, Ic the work be of loss interest to tho man of letters

! > Iras ail hiIilior^i|ilui|ui* K* i>Ias inittortaut ifoe uotte inosmueh as it coinpiises comidete Tables ot Con-
j' fiMKine ait vn "Urhu sur les nations itiUi^ucsde tenth to all the more itronunent Colleitbns of tho
r^Vniinmie.”—-JwK'to ties Vouttget), Ameneans, to the Jonmals, Memoirs, FrocccdInf^,
41 AVnl, lass. and Transactions ot their learned Soneties—and

“Tai BibUothi'ca Glottiea, dont M. Xa-olas i thus famishes au iiiteUisibh; key to a deiwrtment
11 Tminier, a coniiuencii la imbltcullon, ebt un des I *yum«an saentihe iwtivifr hitherto but Imper-
i lisrt's les plus utdus qui afamt {ainols tte rCiln^i's I f»-H.tly known and understood m Europe*

11 pour forlliter l'i5tmle de Li fdliloliwt' coni]iHi(S‘i j Onvioits or the Pars'S.

p premier tome de lette piund labliou

OnKiojts or the Pars'!.

“ It has been reserved toi a fbreigner to have

~ -- ; , , . \ 11 j 1 IH5V11 rcsvrvcu nn u Kfiviiiucr ui lusvn

guistiiinu emiiprenU la lisp tivtaelb di touti^ lea compiled, loi the benefit of Emoiiean readers, a
OTaimmun'^ de tons hs ihc ioiui tin s utdis yw realtrustworthy iniide to Anclo-Ainoiicou
bnlain's iueme Ics rntmis . K ntlus oui ont Lte rn- hteratnre. Thu. honom able dwtinction has been
pnuas .Ians h sdob ^ ‘halo.f Won l.y Mr.NicholasTnlbner,themtelli-

T'quis, en outi., d t nt wiuialtie Ic. onviajes , well-known imblUher in PatemostOTs.

nuiiusentsUe la innue iiaturu n'liltmies thin-, les , pow. That {reiitiLinaii has auepeediHl m mikintr
priiu'ip ties Ibl diuthisiuis lulduiiiei et pat til'ul.^^^ a ^epy ^aiuatile additun to biblioeraplii^

C'triVula dU UiS4-.sner de loinmes et pitieute’. knowledge in a on irter uliere it wis much
nj lu rrhes, aii-si nu nt.'-t-il .I'attin r Unit imiUeu- wanted."—K/r. rsltf lel* j55i 1^8 1 ^.

lienmentrottentiun dt's plnloloiaies. Puisnsit les ■*» vi u i/i . . *

luties vohums. do lelt. bil.hothe.iue etre n.liw-s J ‘T^bnor’sBibliottraphical«ui.Icto Ameri-
av.s' k lame soiu ut s.< t-onv.*! la* nt nt tntm les I'lterature'dcherves pinisc for the meat cw
Hhims <le tons l.s -uvants aiiviuels ds pmyent piepared, and the wondeiflil

n'lMlPt' .les S,TVI. es in ipprei lahl.I HO Ame- mation eontained m its jmscs

riLitiHeet Oitciiuilt No. I. (kt 1858 if compiled and edited by Mr. Nicholas

" u TiUbncr, tW publishci, ^ It

j SIH-Wh aiiproiches towards its fnU holation, Him ' elaborate and full of&cts, and must be tho work
' wiihmer.«snjttsihsf.vtion,uia hoiK*. | of a ipjiitkman who has spared no pains in

I. u iJi'ikina luniiielfmaiiter of nil that lb important

I' hai^ on the whtili, done the hwh.'st sj-rvite ot all ^ t^^nnoction with Amei lean liteiature. It cer-
to the i>Iuloloa»i, b> the iiuhla'anon ot The tainly bupnlicb much infbimation not oenerolly

1 W<L and at the wme time most skiUullv clited, “ Mr. Trttbner deserves much credit for bemg
^ mmble niat* 3 ia]s acquired bv tos de«^sc*l the flrbt to arrange biblioqiaphyoccordina to the
fntnd n. Lndcwqr. We do not, in*l*a.*d, at t^s received rules of the art/ lie began th^abour
monientJtaowanyianulM work deMwvmgofIhU ,n ,855, and the first volume wLpubhbhedm
I comiw^withit toitsaiupleeuuniemiionof that year, conhtituting, 111 fact, the eorlicbt
, nniwitant works trfrrttrenw. and *an.to^ , attempt, on tliu, wde of the Atlintic, to eatOr

of the most ii-wnt facts m the literature of Its siilH logue American books The iiresent volume, of
j**ct, It, as nnuht luve l^si e\p.*ctt‘^ course, is cnlarired, and is mine peilbct in overv

MSWS JUla\‘Vater* Viduai^'aiultn^^ respect. The method of ckbsifliation is exceed-

I though that b*ani«l German's work uudunlitedly jnglv clear and Ubeftil

I Hwiew, No 50 . February, »in short. It prcbentb the actual state of literar

**>'»• _ tare, as well as tlie course of its development.

1 — from tlie bcmuninif. Into the snbjcet-mattcr ot

The Editor has also le'oivod most kmd and on- section we bhall have to look herenf ter, we

I S5wrfle^’lt:w«^ -:SiW(aK.r,P,bruiijy6.18in.

I fiiMior A. Fr. Pott (cP Ilallc), Dr. Jnlioh Fotzholt “ Mr. TrUbnci's book is by for the most com-

Bnschmunn (ot Btriin), Dr JiUgCofCmcim^and tCbted tlie accuracy of the work uiion suvei^

I other luiguumc scholars. points denuuuling much cure and inqniiy, and

I the rcbult has always been satisfiictory. Our

.bv -Dw* Amon^ bmthren cannot fail to oompli-

Trtllll&BF (Nicolas), ThUbneb S Bib- mented by the production of this volume, which

lilunBAFHXC.VL Guide to Aubricait Li- m quantity almost equals onr own I*ondon cata-
teratcre; a Classed List of Books ldffne"-T'A«5..o'«iel/er, rebruaiy2t, 1869
published in the United States of Arne- “ To sav of thu loilume that it entirely ftilflis
nca, from ISir to 1S57. With Biblioirra- f iws’ibly the

nbf/Hii ‘Vn+aa 1 i.tVin high^t Olid niost tiiithful cummetidutiou that

nhical lntrodu^on, Notes, and Alpha- can be awanled to it. Mr. TiUbner deMjrvcb,
Dctical Index. Compiled and Edited by however, somethmg beyond general piaibc for
Nioi »LAH TrueJ fER. In One vol. 8vo, of patient and intelltseut labour with wlicih ho
750 paffes. half-bound, nnce Ids. has elalKiroted the earlier fbritw of the work mto

Tliw v^k, It IS boliovi*d, IS the first attempt to scanty volume, has now liecoinemoimilied, under
marshal the Literature of the Lmted Stit'*s of hibcare, to one of comudorable si/e; and what
^erwH dimmr the Inst foi^ years, uccoi.lmg to wa*. oiwc little bettci than a dry caUl.unic, may
tho ir^prally remved tubbographtcol canons nowtake rank as a bibbuuiapbloal work of
The Libranun wall weli^e it, no .loubt, as a rate imiiortonee. Ills nosition as an Ameiiean
Wii^ulon volume to Br^et, Lowndes, and liteiaiy agent has, douTitlebS, been veiyfa^oui-
t'ji* boolwlliT, it wiU be a laith- able tt> Mr. TrtUmer, by thmwmg matter in Uis

fol guide to the Ainencan branch of Engbsh Lite- way; and ho conteL.^, in hw ure^'C. that it is
ratme—a Imwich winch, <m account of its nqiul m- to this sutu ce that ho is mainly milebted tor tho 1
erraw and nsing Importanee, bvgmc to tore** itself matmals which have enabl^ him t*) constiuct
dally mote and more upon ha. attonuon. NoiwiU the work belbro us Mr.Tnlbner'solgectmcom-

Truhmr & Co^ 60, Patemoeter Row,

pilinst thit» book is, he states, two-fold • * On the
Ilf ^ necesbity ot a moie pei-

u*et work ofitt* kind by an American, surround¬
ed, M ho neceswu ily would bo, with the needfUl
upjilianecb, and, on the other, to supnly to
Auiopcans a (^ide to Anglo*Amwean hterature
—a la ouch winch, by its lapid rue and increiu-
ing imiMutance, heginb to ftorus Itwlf inoic and
njene on oux attention.’ It is vei y modest m Mr
Trdbnoi thus to treat his work at> a mere sug-
gcstiou for otherb. It u much more than this •

It iH an example winch thobo who attempt to do
anythingmore complete cannot do b^tei than to
nmow a model, which they will do well to
copy, if tliey would combine fulness of niateiinl
with that admirable oider and oriangement
wlileh so fhcihtatob rofoicnce, and without which
a work ol this bort is all but usolosb.

“All hnnom, then, to the liteiatuie of Young
Aiumica—foi >«unu she btill is, and let hei
thank hci blais foi It—and allhonoui, also, to
Ml. Trhbiiui, for takmg bo much iioms to moke
gywMiuaniled with it?—The Ci itu,, March 19,

“ Tliib is not only a vei y uscfbl, hccaiisc well
e\cvut<.d, bibliogiaphicalwoik—It u also a woik
pj much iiitciust to all who are eoniieutcd with
jitciaturc The bulk of it conwbtb of a clasuhe^l
libt, with date ol publication, bize, and pnee, of
oil the wuiks, original oi translated, which liave
apiwored in the Uiuted States during the lost
foi ty years, and an alphabetical index fhcih-
fotch lefcienco to any particular work or author.
On tlie ments of thu iioition of the work we can¬
not, of cjiuihc, be expeotod to form a ju^^ent
It would require something of the speeiarenidi-
tion of Mr.Trtlbuer himself; to say how for he
bashueeccdedorfiillcn short of his underttdcmg
—how f^, or how many, have been his onus-
bions Tlietc is one inuieation, however, of his
eaieftil inmutenebs, which buggebts the amount
of lalionr that must have been bestowed on the
work—namely, the full enumeration of all the
contents of the various Transactions and Scien¬
tific Joiunals. Thus, the ‘Transactions of the
Ainerictui PhilObO]>hieal Society,' from the year
to IH67- no index to which has yet appeared
in Aincrioa -arc m thu work made easy of re¬
ference, every paper of every volume hoiM men-
tioiUMl heiiotiiu. The natuialist, whownhesto
kiutw what paiiers have aiipeared in the Bohton
Journal of Natural History during the last
twenty yoais, that is, iiom its commencement,
has onlv to glance over the five closely-prmtea
pi^ (if this guide to satisfy himself u once.'*—
Uhc Haturtkfjf JtevieWj April i, ISfiO.

“ We have never seen a woik on the national
liteiature of a iicoplo moie carcftilly comiuled
than the prubCnt, and thu bibhograpiiical prole¬
gomena disci ves attentive iieiusnl by all who
would studv cither the political or the literary I
liistoiy of the greatest republic of the West,”—
Tlu‘ LfntUr, March 26 , IflVJ. I

“ Tlw* siilijcct of luy Icttoi to-day may seem to
be of a purery literary character, but I feel justi¬
fied to claim a more general interest for it. That
hulij<‘ct Is connected w itU the good loputation of
the United Htates abroad, It is likewiso con¬
nected with tlie general toinc of my two former
letters. I hove UHiken of the friends and the an-^
tagouihts of the United States among European
nutloiih, and oinoiig thediflhreut clabses of Euro-
lK‘an HouicU i liavc stated that the antagonists
on* cluefly to be llmnd among the onstucroey,
not only of birth, but ‘ of mmu'— as it bob liocii
called likewise, not only among the privileged
elabbCM, and those oouueoted with the Govom-
luent iiiterestii, but among tliose who live in the
hphert' of literature and art, and look down with
eontenipt upon a soeiuty In which utilitarian
motives an* Udieved to lie paramount., And I
have asserted that, those difleieuuos in the opi-
uioiib of certain elassos loft aside, the Qermaiu,

as a whole, take a more lively and a deeper inte-
r^t m Ameiican ahairb than any other nation.
Now, I am going to siieok of abook just reat^ to
leave the press of a linden publuhei, which,
whileit lb a remarkable inbtanco of tlie truth of
assertion in roforcnce to the Ocimans, must
he conbideiod ob serving tlio Intcrcbts of the
United States, bv promutmg the good reputation
of Ameiican life m an uncommon degree

“ The Txmdon book trade has a lum, Trlibncr
ft Co., of whose busmoss transactions American
literature, Ob well as literature on America, form
a principal bianoh. It is the Arm who have
lately jiubluhed the bibliography of Amencan
laugnages Mr. Nicolas Titlbnei is a Ociman,
who has never inhabited the Uiuted States, and
yet he luks his time, laboui, and money, m lite¬
ral y pubhcotions, foi which even vam endeavours
would have been made to And an Amencan pub-
Usher.

“ The new pubheabon of Mr. Tidbner, to
which I have referred, is a large 8vo. volume
of 800 pages, under the title of * Blbbographical
OuidctoAmeiicanLitcnituie Aclassitedliibt of
Boukb pubhbhedin the Umted States of America,
fiorn 1817 to l8o7 With Bibliogittplueal lutro-
ductiun, Notes, and Alphabetical Index. Com¬
piled and edited bv Nicolas Trubner

“This lostrernojkhas but too mu(ihtruth in
it The United States, m the opinion of the
great moss of eveu the well-educated people of
Emoiie, IS a country inhabited bv a nation lost
in tlie punmt of material intoicst, a country m
which the teohnicolly applicable branehes of
bomo sciences may be cuTtivated to a certain
degree, bat a coonOT ebsentially without litera¬
ture and art, a eonntry not witnout newspapers
—so much the worse for it—but almost without
books. Now, here, Mr. TrQbner, a German,
comes out with a list of Ameiican books. Ailing
a thick volume, though eontainmg American.
pubLcatious anly, nj^ard ftom the year 1817,
xh>m which time he dates the period of a more
decided litcroiy independence of the UzutM
States.

“ Since no native-born, and even no adopted,
Amencan, hob taken the trouble of compibng, ar¬
ranging, digesting, editing, and puhbslung such
a work, who elseuut a Gnman could undertake
it ? who else among the European nations would
have thought American literature worth the
labour, the tune, and the money v and, let me
add, that a smaller work of a smular character,

‘ The laterature of Amencan local History,* by
the late Dr Hermann Ludewig, was the work of
a German, bkewise. May be that the majority
of the American publio will ascribe but an m-
forior degree of mterest to wtnrks of this kind.
The majonty of the pubnc of other nations will
do the bome, as it cannot bo eve^bo^’s busmoss
to understand the useMness of bibliography,
and of books containing nothing but the enu¬
meration and dcsmlption of books. One thing,
however, must be apparent the deep interest
taken by some foieiguois in some of the more
ideal bpneres of Amencan lifo, and if it is trtus,
that the clear histoncal insight mto its own de¬
velopment, ideol as well os motenol, is one of the
moht valuable ocqnlidtions of a natidn* Ihture

application contnhuted to avert the national

ence of America becoming veiled in darkness.**—
yew ToihJ)tvly Tribune, December, I8fi8.

" It is remarkable and noteworthy that the
most valuable manual of Amonean hterature
should appear m London, and be imbbshed, by
an English hoube. TrtLtmcr’s Bibliographi(^
Gmde to Amencan Literature Is a work of ex-
ti^iwnary skill and perseverance, {dvmg an
index to all the publications of the Amencan
for the last loity years.** — Sarper's
WeeMl/.Manfo 26th, 1859-

30

Catalogue of Important Works,

“ Mr TiUbnei dL‘sei\e^ all piaiM) fur haMit:;
jpnHluced a vork e^a.v \iav satlsfoirtoiy. No oho
. vhu takes an interest lu the nubjoct uf wluoU it
II heath can di^incHMs with it, and we have no
doubt that IxiuLiiellers in this ooimtiy will learn
to con-^idcr 1 1 necessarv to them as a shoi» manual,
and onlv wcond m ininortance, for the purposes
^ their trade, to the London Cntaloitue itself
That a ibrenmer, and a Ijondon bookseller,
Hhould have nooomplished wliat Amui icons them-
• selves have &iled to do, is most cietlitable to the
coininler The -volume oonteins I It) iingob of in¬
ti oductoiv matter, cuntainniu bv far the licst
rewnd of Aniciican litcraxj nistoiy jet pub¬
lished ; and fiSl pacccn of classed libts uf books, to
uliiuli an alphabetical index of iMigesis added
Tins alphabetical index alone ma-y claim to lie
one of the mobt valiiuLle aids iur enabling die
student of liteiary hibtoiy to ibrm a lust and
perfect estimate of the orcot and using im¬
portance of Ang1o-,.hneiicun bteiatmc, the

S imiJCbt and most untiamincllcd uf all which I
ustrate the cradual develoiiment of the human I
nund.’^irftei^rc8s,PAd<((/c7pA«f, Oct 11 ,183a
“ We do uot so much exprcbs the wish bv this
notice, that hCr.Trhbncr may not find apubho
iinuiutediltbr his laltoni, as congratulate, espo-
eially .American Biblioplules, upon the advan¬
tage within their reach, by the acqiusltion and
Use of what Mr Trtlbnui has so opiioituncly
supplied ’—n ahAiMfrtoM Xtaumal TittelUaeiiccr.
March SSnd, 1839

“ This volume contains a well-clossldcd list of
books published m the United States of ..Vmci ica
during the last fortyycarb, picccded hy a tole¬
rably fill! surrey of American hterofy enter-
piise durim tlie first holt of the nmetcenth
century The value of such a guide, m itself
Tolorahly evident, becomes mure so upon glanc¬
ing over the five hundred and fiirfo iiagos of
clObC pniit which display the literal v oetivUy
pervaoing the coimtiy of Prescott andMottlcv,
uf Ii V mg and Ha\vthomc,ofPueand I/ingtellow,
of Story and Wheaton, of Moses Stuart and
Cbantung. Thib volume will be usctul to the
fachular, but to the libroiion it ib mdibpcnsable>”

—iVr<(p A etob, Alarch Si, 1839.

‘‘Theie are hundreds of men of moderate
scholarship who would gladly stand on some
l^er and more asbuied pomt. They ffecl that
th^- have acquired much iiifoi motion, but Ihcy
albo fcel the neeil of thot buhtle discipline, lite¬
rary education, without whi^ all meic learning
ib the rudii mtltffcsia nuda, as much of a stum-
bung-block as an aid To those in such a con-
mtion, uoiks on bibliomphy aie invaluable
^r duection m clnsbifyinff all rcachng, wh^er
English or American, Allihono's Dictionary is
a^iraWe; but, for particular information as to
the American side of the hoube, tlie recently

f uMibhed Bibliographical Guide to American
.iterotuTe, Nicolas Trtibner, of London, may

t>e tionscieutfoubly commend^ A coi^l^
nualofthistralyremaikable work cannot mil
to give any mtelugentpeibon a clear and com¬
plete idea of the whole state of Ameiican book- i
niaking, not (inly in itb htenm aspect but in ita
hiBtonwl, and, ad^d to this, in itb most meoha^
meal detailk"—PAtku/eZpAra Fvenint; Bulletin
Morch 6tli, 1859.

“ But Uie best work on American hibllogmiihy
yet published has come to us from Lon^n,
whero it hosbow compiled by the well-known
bibhophile, Trlibner. The work is remarkable
nir eundensation and ocemao}, though -we have
noted a lew errors and omissions, upon which we
should like to comment, had we uow apace to do
80 ATew Fo/i Ttmen, Moiohseth, 1^.

I whose attention has

I been particnlarly called to scientific and literary
; matteis, maj’- remember moetmg, wnne years
[ since, lu tblfc country, a moat Intelligent fo-
, reigner, who visited the Umtcil States for the
pmpobo of extending his busmest, conneeUons,

and makina a poisunal investigation into the
condition of litciature in the New World Mr.
Nicholas TiQbncr--tho uentleman to wliom ue
have mode icfeicnce—although by birth a Ger¬
man, and by education and proftbbioii a London
bookbellor, could hardly bo called a * stiongcr in
Aiiieiica ’ for he liad hcnt befixre him a moxt
valuable Mutter of iiitroductinii,'in the sliape of
a coiefully compiled icgister of Amciicon books
and authors, entitled * Bibhogiaphie<il Gmde
to Amoiican Literature,' 3:c, pp x\xii, 108.
Tliib manual was the genn of the imuorlont

S iiblicatioii, the title uf which the leader will
nd at the conuncncemcnt of thu, article.
Now, in consequence of Air. TiUhnor’s odim-
rahle classification and mmute index, the in¬
quirer after knowledge has nothing to do but
copy Ihim the Bibhugraphical Guide the titles of
the American books which he WiShes to consult,
despatch them to liib library' by a mewienger, and
m a fbw minutes he has bcfbrt him the coveted
volumeb, through whoso means he hopes to
cnloige his acquisitions. Undoubtedly it would
be a cause of well-foundetl rcpi oach, of deep mor¬
tification to (may mtclbgcnt Amcneaii, if ^
arduous labonis of the learned editor and com¬
piler of this volume fwhom we almost hesitate to
call a foicigner I, bliould fall to he appreciated In
a country^to which he has, hy the preparation of
this valuable woik, proved lumself so eminent a
benefactor Bnquirct. March

a>th,1859.

The eihtor of this volnmo has acquired a
knowledge of the prodnetionbofthe Amciican
press wliich ib lorclv exhibited on the other bide
of the Atlantic, and w luch must command the
admnatlon of the best informed students of the
suhicet m tins cnuntiy. Hib ibrmer work on
American bibliography, though making no pre-
tenuuns to completeness, was a valuable index
to vorioub branches of learning that had been
suct^fuUy cultivated by our scholars, but,
neither m eonipiehensivenesa of plan noi tho¬
roughness of execution, can it be compoi^ to tiie
elaborate and mumto lecoid of American lite¬
rature contamed in this volume The duty of
the editor icqiured extensive losoorch,-vigilant
mbcrmunation, and untmng diligence, and in
the ncrfiirmanoe of his task we ore no less struck
with the aixniracy of detail than -with the extent
of iub infill mation. The pciiod to which the
plume is devoted, comprises only the last
TOty yean, bat within that time the litera¬
ture of thiscountiy has received its most eifi-
dent impulses, and been widely unfiilded m the
yaiious depot tments of mtellectual aertmty
If we were pcnmtted to speak in belmlf ^
American scholars, vre should not flul to eongrit-
tu^e ^ TrUbner on the enunent success wnth
which he has accomplished his plan, and tho
onmle and impariialjnstlcowith which he has
renner^ the prodncticms of our nativ'c author¬
ship. After a eorefiil exammationof his volume,
we are bound to express our high appreciation ^
the intelLgCfnce, Ihirnessaind industry which are
conspicuous in its pages, Ibr exoctnobs and pre-
clbion it lb no lebs icmarkable, than fin extent of
lesearch , lew, if anj-, important publications
ore omitted on its cotaloou^ and although, os is
mutable m a work of this nature, an eironeous
icttei hob sometimes cicpt into a name, or an
(Hnoneous flciue into a date, no one can consult
it habitually without learning to rely on its
brustwurthlness, as well os ibi completeness.**—

catalogue only of the
- ___—„„ publicationswAme¬
rica. Prefixed to it are valuable bibliographical

the late Dr. Ludovyig, whose early death was a
great loss to philological science Mr. Moran-
pe iwistant-accretaiy to the American Lmo-
tion, has aiided to the volume a historical sum, ,
mqry of the literature of America, and Mr!

.rdEdwaKlsibreqxmsibleibranititereoUni;! "ttardbi a history of Aiouiicnn literature * HI

iltavdencc and hard vrark, ho^revef, the btudunt occupy one hundred andliil vp.i«eh, IV. Clasned j
^ ‘t e%'ericmam indebted ftir one of the most list ol hooka; V. Alnhalicticttl list of authors.

.ol and ^ell-anon^ hooka on biblioina- This, plan is flomeahnt alto that ailopted in ■
-Cal loro c\er published In. addition to this, Waltb’colcbiatod * Bibliotheca Bntannico, a
18 nffht to conijratulatc Mi. Tittlmcr on the Tsurk of immcn'-c value, 'ahosc winpdation oc- .
fiu!t, that his work condmui the opinion cnpied bomo hirlv vears, TO‘e ela'-smwliwrtion

aased on his^ Bibhotheca Glottica,’ that amonc of the present woik enahlei, the lewlei to find
bo booksellois themsehes honourahle litenuy readil^he names of all Isxikb on onesui> i
eminonco may enet, withont clashing with busl jw*t, The alplmbotirol mdex of anthors enables .
nesb oiiangeinents. The booWllci s ol old wore the leader to ascertain instantly the names ol nu
authoiaand Mr. Trtihner cmnlatch their esam- authors and nf all their worka, iiielni^K tlw
ple.'^liroi ntnn Chromcle, Mar^ .ffl, lWi0. numoious penodical pubheations of the last .

fiatvveais. Mr. Tiubnerdosunestlio thanks of 1
»’Ml, Tnlhner, who is not only a bibliopole thelitci aiywoi Id tor hu. plan, and its able ete- 1
but a bibhophile, has. in this work, materially cution ” --A'cip YorU Courmr and JH/ignlrcr,
incicnsedthe claim which he hod already upon Aiwil 11th, 18i9. I

i Stiq^siUlSmKnfii.^ i^Sti&AmLt-

reapcct, the pi esont constitutes a new implement iHi^bl\sM?n^tdu^ll?Wndw *

toiWhbiiuies,asweU as the most vnlnhblc ex- lait flu de^ I!

ihtmgaidfbr those rtu^ntswho,^thontlibra- SSJolloItil^lratei iL^ne lioiSeui, clleest I

iSffiSnement dm-, e cnp^ii.Hlecolonmlc et 1,
—2;aZnmo>e J^<ciioaM,SndApnl,18fi9. ^ pfaiode Amfricaine et renlenne, sur

“LostlyaiubUshod only the other day. Is pregifc* del’ xminimene cn 1

Trlibnei’b Biblipgraphical Qiude to American solaire des autenrs, sur 1®, I

Interatuio, whichjpvea a classed hat of books biaine, Ito publications da rm-

Addenda.

Collide. A» EfcjRAT ov IwrumvB Morals.
Being on attempt to populanzoBthical
Bolenoe. By Krajiois Tower Cobbb
Port I. Tuborv or morals. Second
Edition. Crown 8vo, Pp 296, doth.

Part II. Phacticib op Morals. Book
1. Bbliuiovs Dwt. Second Edition.
Crown Svo., cloth, tn the Press.

Sclater. Catalogue op a Collecttom
OP American Bmus belonging to Mr.
PinLlPLTNBLE\'SOLATBR,M.A.,^.DOO,

F.R.S. Fellow of CoipnsChriati College,
Oxford; Secretary iio the Zoological So¬
ciety of London; Editor of ** Tno Ibis.”
8vo l>p. 354, and 20 coloured Plates of
Shda, cloth, SOs.

32

Catalogm of Important WorJcs,

Rowan. ItlSDITATIONS on Dnath and
ETfiRNiTT. Trani^tedf^om the Germaa
(bf command) by Fbedehioa Rowan.
Published by Her Alajesty’s Gracious
permission. In one volume, crown 8vo.,
cloth.

Compte Rendu da Coni^is
International de blenfolsance
de Londres. Trolsibme Session. 2
volumes, 8vo. (one Erenoh, one English)
Jn (fu Pra».

Patou. A HiSTony or tijb BaYrriAN
Revolution, ftom the Period of the
Mamolukes to the Death of Mohammed
All: trom Arab and European Memoirs,
Oral Tradition, and Local Beseaioh,
By A. A. Paton, P.E G.S., Author of
**Researchos on the Danube and the
Adrbtlc.*’ Two volumes, 8vo, doth.

Ticknor. A Histobt or Spanish
LiTEnATURE. Eutirdy rewritten. By
Geobor Ticknor. Three vdumes,
Grown Svo., doth.

Parker. The Collbotbd ’Works or
Thbodorr Parker ; contaming his
Thedog^ool, Polemical, and Critical
Writings^ Sermons, Spoedies, and Ad¬

dresses, and lAtorary Misoellnuies, Xn
Twelve Volumes, Grown Svo , doti*
Renan. Am Essay on the Aqe A'on)

Membre de I'lnstitut. In one Volume.
Crown 8vo., doth.

Bleek. a Comparative Grammar of
South African Lanquagbs. ^ Dr.
"W. H. I. Blbek. In one Volume, Crown
8vo., doth.

Wilson. Essays and Lectures

OniEFLY ON THE BeUQION OF THE
Hindus. By H. H. Wilson, M A.,
F.R.S., late Boden Protessor of San¬
skrit in tho University of Oxford.
Oollocted and Edited by Dr. Reimhold
Rost. V.o1. II.

Wedgwood. A Diotionart op
English Btymologt. By IIhnrlbtgii
Wedgwood, M A, late Follow of Ohnst
College, Cambnd^. (Volume H.—E.
toP.) Svo.

WEBTHEIUBlt AND 00., PRIMERS, CIBODS PLACE, IINSVURT CIBCUS.